A 400-year-old ceramics studio in Japan has completely remodeled their store with a most remarkable addition: a walkable surface constructed from a stack of tens of thousands of scrapped pieces of crockery.

Yusuke Seki (photos by Takumi Ota) collected plates, saucers, bowls and cups for this creative endeavor, all to create a display platform for Maruhiro Ceramics in Hasami, Nagasaki.

To facilitate a more intimate experience, a pair of stairs is placed by the display platform, allowing visitors to walk up and peruse wares, all while enjoying a sense of wonder from the layers of history right beneath their feet.

Traditionally, flawed ceramics are simply thrown into dedicated landfills, while this rethought application brings pieces of history back up to the surface.

Since the discards are eliminated before the coloring and glazing process, there is an aesthetic consistency to the materials reused in this creative context.

Individually fragile, the tableware was turned into modular bricks by being filled with concrete, but their individual shapes and sizes still made this a daunting endeavor to actually deploy. Still, the result is compelling and interactive – not so much of a crackpot idea after all, as it turns out.

We’re gonna party like it’s 1959! Classic ceramic mugs celebrating the South Pacific Tiki have punched up pop culture from Waikiki to Wachee Weeki. Whether serving frosty, fruity tropical cocktails or simply glowering down from a collector’s mantlepiece, Tiki Mugs embody the exotic aura of post-war Polynesia filtered through the fonder memories of battle-hardened GI’s, the escapades of surf-soaked Gidgets, and the coco-nutty fantasies of armchair Gilligans.

Island Stylin’

(image via: A Mountain of Crushed Ice)

The tiki mug above appears to be an hourglass-shaped design by Daga that displays all the expected south-seas styling cues (fearsome face, glazed wood look, etc) along with the advantage of being skillfully and creatively photographed. Thanks to A Mountain of Crushed Ice, who not only know their way around a tiki mug but also exhibit due respect for the tiki drink in all its glory.

I’ll Never Lose My Fu Manchu

(images via: ModSquadPicking, Vintage and Retro, Ricekiller and 1-800-Bloody-Mary)

With a nod to Frank Black, we salute the Fu Manchu style tiki mug. Though possibly politically incorrect when viewed few the prism of modern societal norms and mores, the original Orchids of Hawaii, made-in-Japan, Fu Manchu Hi-Ball R-82 mug may have lacked traditional tiki design cues but benefits from long years of service at a variety of tiki bars, polynesian restaurants and south-sea themed watering holes.

Tiki Leilani

(image via: Dzamage)

Who was “Leilani” and who would name a tiki mug after her? Probably someone who could run faster than a thrown tiki mug. Short, stout, and apparently “much maligned by collectors” due to their mass-production commonality, vintage Tiki Leilani mugs offer good things in their small packages: bold pseudo-Hawaiian styling, high-relief castings, rich brown glazing and a smile that’s to die for.

Maori Wowie

(images via: Chez Marianne, MsRudeGirl and Kitsch Kaboodle)

Otagiri Mercantile Company, or OMC for short, was a Japanese-based manufacturer of ceramic tiki mugs, bowls and other kitchenware items. Their mid-1960s tiki mugs are popular collectibles that have stood the test of time. The “Maori Tattoo” mug above is one of OMC’s better-known patterns, distinguished by a detailed matte-finished body sandwiched between a dark, wood-like base and rim.

What About Tiki Bob?

(images via: The Tiki Chick and Shop Goodwill Auctions)

What’s the deal with Tiki Bob mugs, anyway? The proto-happyface smile is anything but traditionally toothy and the pale-faced plainness of the design somehow doesn’t seem tiki-ish at all. Bob’s got one thing going for him, however: many consider “him” to be the first mass-produced tiki mug.

Sonny Bone-Nose

(images via: Dad’s Dish, Jenn Bennett and Mr. Bali Hai)

Better known as “Mr. Bali Hai”, this multi-toned (and multi-boned) heads-up display is tough to find complete with its mildly macabre twin-straw-hole skullcap. Sort of a Indiana Jones’ Temple of Doom meets Gilligan’s Island thing, with a dash of Night of the Living Dead thrown in for good measure.

No Mistaking Miss Tiki

(images via: Deland Tiki and ZeeJunkHunter)

Could this be the Polynesian fertility goddess? The big round belly and burgeoning breasts scream “female!” and the contorted facial features just scream, period… and by “period”, we don’t mean anything in particular. Originally made-in-Japan by Orchids of Hawaii, these model R76 tiki mugs purport to depicting “Lono, the God of Peace and Prosperity,” and are almost as scary as your mother-in-law in a grass skirt.

Westwood Ones

(images via: (Retro)Radar and VintageRambler)

The Westwood company imported tiki mugs in large and small sizes between 1960 and 1975. Often featuring coffee-cup style handles, Westwood’s offerings were typically lightweight due to thin-wall casting and their designs tend to be low-relief with minimalist graphics. Westwood tiki mugs are popular due to their wide range of bright colors that add life to many tiki mug displays.

PMP Up the Volume

(image via: MyLittleThriftStore)

Sometimes called the “Praying Tiki” mug as when viewed from behind it the tiki god appears to be kneeling, this popular style is one of several similar designs from PMP, or Paul Marshall Products. Like the aforementioned Maori Tattoo or Peanut design, this mass-produced and easy to buy in bulk tiki mug is finished in easy-to-grip matte glaze with contrasting glossy glazes on the base and top rim.

Mt Fuji, Omaha

(images via: Vintage Coffee Mugs and Tiki Central)

“Omaha” may sound close to Okinawa but it’s an unlikely place to find South Pacific cultural relics… or is it? Not at all! Hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean, Nebraska’s largest city was once home to the Mt Fuji Inn and its Mai Tai Lounge, from whence these jade green Moai tiki mugs came.

Goodbye, Columbus

(images via: BadCatBoutique and B & C Emporium)

A massive swath of midwestern America basked in the afterglow of World War II and the boom in all things South Pacific. Take the legendary Kahiki Supper Club, a Polynesian hotspot the graced chilly Columbus, Ohio, from 1960 to 2000. The “Kahiki Mug No. 1” above evoked the mysteries of Easter Island with a nod to classic Hawaiian bamboo carvings.

Jolly Green Giant

(images via: Chez Marianne)

Laugh and the world laughs along with you… including the jolly green tiki mug holding the joy juice! This vintage OMC tiki mug‘s got all the design cues turned up to 11, highlighted by a rich green glaze even The Hulk’s mother would love.

Ivory & Ebony

(image via: Elle Kate Taylor)

Just like Seinfeld’s cookie, black & white CAN get along – remember the cookie! These two variations on the Moai theme evoke the natural look of carved palm wood and chiseled black basalt. Under the skin (glaze, whatever) though, they share the same fired ceramic core construction and hold similar amounts of tropical cocktail goodness.

The Hangover, Part R71

(images via: Papernest)

The model R-71 “Ku” tiki mug from Orchids of Hawaii never goes out of style – thanks to its timeless tiki awesomeness! Is it smiling, frowning, or a little of both? Contemplate the meaning of life, love and the motives of the ancient island gods while sipping a nice Hawaiian Punch from this bad boy.

Pro & Kon Tiki

(images via: TikiHunterInc)

He may not have been “The Most Interesting Man in the World” but Stephen Crane led a darned interesting life highlighted (we assume) by a two-year marriage to “sweater girl” actress Lana Turner. Crane’s other Hollywood interest was the Luau, one of the first Polynesian-themed restaurants and a Rodeo Drive celebrity hotspot. Crane later partnered with Sheraton Hotels to create a chain of Kon Tiki and Ports of Call restaurants known for bold tiki tableware (such as the mug above) provided by Stephen Crane Associates.

(image via: Design Toscano)

They say once you go tiki, there’s no going back and if you’ve already gone full Hawaiian tropic, the only way to go now is to go big. Take the titanic tiki poolside table above… if you can do it without inducing a hernia. Inspired by the work of artist Trent Smith, this wood-grained designer resin table is the perfect support for a tropic cocktail or two. Now that’s what I call a Big Kahuna!

Cutesy, feel-good figurines they’re not: one little girl has an eye gouged out, a boy is crucified on the golden McDonalds arches, and an anthropomorphized rabbit carries the severed head of a child. But artist Carole Epp isn’t looking to provide you with pretty little things to place on your mantel. Her fragile and diminutive works deal with issues like neuroses, stress and grief.

A Collection of Small Miseries presents such serious subjects in a disarmingly innocent package – that is, until you get close enough to see the details. Working with both slip-casting and hand-building techniques, Epp creates memorable and sometimes shocking little tableaus, nearly always starring children regardless of the subject matter.

“Through bringing the overwhelming and devastating nature of war, terrorism, poverty, starvation, genetic technology, and environmental degradation back to a dialogue about the individual consumer, I felt that I could offer more positive outlooks for pro-active change in regards to the issues,” says the artist.

“I found that I could use the expectations of the medium and the collectible object as an accessible entry point into the work, allowing for a non-confrontational or disconcerting perspective on the subject matter. I wanted to both entice and repel; and inspire a desire to consume alongside an awareness of the consequences of that consumption.”

Laura Zindel’s surreal ceramic creations combine high-quality home dishware with faux historical hand-drawn imagery inspired by Victorian Cabinets of Curiosity. Bugs, snakes and spiders on my dinner plate… Please sir, may I have some more?

(images via: Ceramic Arts Daily and Notes on a Party)
Who is Laura Zindel and why is she intent on bugging our meals? To address the first question, Laura Zindel-Lauterbach and her husband Thorsten Zindel Lauterbach are the two artists behind Laura Zindel Ceramics, located (as are they) in an old farmhouse in southern Vermont.

(images via: Blackbird)
Laura Zindel learned the tricks of her trade not by puttering around in her basement, but by becoming an accredited potter with the letters to prove it – a BFA in Ceramics from the Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA in Ceramics from the University of Massachusetts.

(images via: Big Daddy Seashell)
Zindel’s natural talent for drawing is something that cannot be taught, merely refined. All of the meticulously detailed images on her ceramics are hand-drawn in pencil, then printed with enamel to become ceramic transfers which are subsequently collaged onto the raw pieces and fired for permanence in a process known as transferware. First adopted in the 18th century, transferware embodying such complex and delicate artwork is not commonly practiced these days.

(images via: Bioephemera, The Vintage Chair, Newshopper and Core77)
When asked about her inspirations, Zindel mentions the Victorian Cabinets of Curiosity, which were intensely personal collections of natural oddities and objects of beauty accumulated by the wealthier members of British society. What Zindel refers to as “The art of collecting and displaying ones’ passions” originated before Queen Victoria’s accession to the throne in 1837 – perhaps even before the establishment of the British Museum in 1753, which popularized collecting as a reputable hobby.

(images via: LauraZindel.com)
Officially Victorian or not, Zindel’s work evokes a sense of great age, scientific craftsmanship and quality worthy of an heirloom. The latter is perhaps the most appropriate. As Laura Zindel’s artist statement expostulates, “I believe that some objects can carry a personal history through a family from year to year. I hope that I can make art that a family member can buy to be handed down the line. Something bought on a whim, that becomes the platter for the turkey, or sits on the mantel. ‘Crazy old Uncle Larry bought that peculiar spider platter, and we just can’t seem to part with it’, I would like to be a part of that.”

(images via: John Coulthart and This Next)
Are Zindel’s pieces destined solely for the mantelpiece, there to collect dust and scare your kids (and their kids)? Definitely not – each piece displays a non-toxic, low fire glazed surface and are slip cast with low fire white earthenware. Food safe they are; appetite safe… well, that depends how hungry you are.

(images via: Apartment Therapy, Hello Blackbird and My Opinions Are Important)
Zindel’s frighteningly beautiful ceramic wares can’t be found on the shelves of your local Wal-Mart or Piggly Wiggly. As handmade fine art creations they are not exactly numerous, though over the years the Zindels have crafted a wide variety of sizes, styles and designs. Visit the Laura Zindel Ceramics website for a list of galleries – the Exploding Head Gallery in Sacramento, CA for example. Certain specialty online stores like Blackbird also carry Laura Zindel pieces – search and ye shall find.

(images via: Not Wild Style and LauraZindel.com)
The current list of designs features beetles, birds, bees, dragonflies, moths, spiders and snakes, just to name a few. Light Blue, Pine Green and the intriguingly named “Iron Buffalo” are usually used as edge trimming or for the interiors of mugs and tumblers.

(images via: LauraZindel.com, A Farm Fresh Wedding and Kaboodle)
At present there are over 30 different types of ceramic dishware available featuring Zindel’s naturalistic motifs, ranging from small dessert plates to huge round serving platters a full 17 inches in diameter. Pricing varies generally with the size of the item but small pieces need not be budget breakers: an Espresso Cup and Saucer combo goes for just $26.00, for example.

(images via: Apartment Therapy and Wooden Stone Gallery)
Even stores that do not normally specialize in ceramics have noted the unique ability of Laura Zindel’s ceramics to attract, repulse, and intrigue. The above displays were assembled by the Scarlet Sage Herb Co. in Valencia, CA, and show off some of Zindel’s more unusual (if that can be said) designs. Among the many marine creatures depicted above in Zindel’s ancient zoological style are seashells, starfish, sand dollars, seahorses and jellyfish. I seafood… and I like it!

Laura Zindel’s startling ceramics effectively bridge the gap between historic sensibilities and modern practicality, with a dash of “shock & awe” thrown in for good measure. It’s a recipe for success at the dinner table, though if your guests aren’t quick to chow down you’ll have something else to blame besides your cooking.