This summer, global warming seems to be affecting all parts of the world simultaneously. With wildfires and heat waves in the west, destructive hurricanes like Ida in the east, we're keen to focus on artists and designers like Ted Bradley who are doing their part to tackle climate change by making sustainability a key component within the overall design process.
Bradley is the amazing talent behind one-of-a-kind custom porcelain and LED light sculptures specially formulated with New Zealand-sourced porcelain that is among the brightest white in the world. In October of 2019 Bradley finally decided to let go of the things he thought he was supposed to do and dove head first into something he was actually passionate about. Leveraging his background in mechanical engineering and experience in ceramics, Bradley’s bespoke sculptures take over 300 steps and several weeks to make a single porcelain ring. The handmade process means each ring is unique - a custom work of art in and of itself.
In terms of going green, Bradley’s audacious ambition is to one day become 100% carbon neutral. Right now, he is focusing on his packaging, which uses a reclaimed pallet from a local factory in Boulder, Colorado, reclaimed construction lumber, 100% recycled cardboard sheets, 100% recycled cardboard "bubble wrap", biodegradable "green wrap", all paper tape and zero plastic. Additionally, the kilns used to fire Bradley’s porcelain rings are 100% offset by solar energy.
There's a tension between the grace and fragility of the rings and the strength and rigidity of the metal spine - a moment of perfect balance frozen in time.
Enjoy a few shots of Bradley’s painstaking process and the beautiful outcome of Samsara, a sculpture inspired by the arching ribs of a whale skeleton bleached in the sun.
