a mirror darkly questions historic usage of the ceramic bowl

a mirror darkly questions historic usage of the ceramic bowl
all images courtesy of nick ross

a modern reinterpretation of the ceramic bowl’s largely unknown history, ‘a mirror darkly’ by scottish born, stockholm-based nick ross, looks into how guesswork and possible misinterpretations alter the way we see the past. some historians believe that during the late stone age, despite there being no concrete evidence, that small ceramic bowls may have contained water in order to be used as table top mirrors. the lack of proof in this theory only adds to the objects sense of mystery. a mirror darkly is a contemporary version of the mirror-ceramic bowl concept, one that asks the question: is this a new object, or an old one reinvented? once the words leave the mouth of the person pondering these scenarios, they ultimately become true – no matter how false they are.

face on view

as wall mounted mirror

the print sits between the two sheets of glass

the body of the mirror is made from spun copper which is oxidized and then waxed

close up of gradient print

early sketches

spinning the copper body

applying the silver oxide before waxing the surface

early prototype

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.