US-based artist Gregg Moore, in collaboration with chef Dan Barber, launched a series of ceramics at Barber’s restaurant Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York, made from the restaurant’s grass-fed waste bones.

The concept, which took five years to develop, marries centuries of ceramic history, Moore’s professional knowledge, and Barber’s zero-waste ‘nose to tail’ philosophy.

The idea of using bone to make ceramics came to Europe in the 18th century, when European potters tried to imitate the strength and translucence of Asian porcelain. In Bow, east London, potters Thomas Frye and Edward Heylyn first mixed bone ash into clay. The invention rose out of waste-product; Bow was the center for cattle slaughter.

The process of making the bone china is very labour intensive. First, the cleaned and boiled bones are collected and boiled again. Then they are calcined (fired), ground down, and dried to make bone ash. This ash is mixed according to a classical English bone china recipe. The liquid bone china slip is then cast in its thinnest possible expression, fired to 2400 degrees, and hand-sanded, resulting in a bone china cup “unmatched in strength and luminosity.”

Photos: Gregg Moore