Merdacotta

These ceramics, called Merdacotta, are made from cow dung and clay. Merdacotta consists for the most part of dried cow dung, mixed with Tuscan clay, straw and farm waste, in variable quantities. The methane and urea, which is what makes poo smell, are extracted, making the dung odourless.

The result is a material similar to terracotta, but Merdacotta is lighter and more resilient to cold. The museum produces tiles, vases, flowerpots, benches, mugs and dishes. The tableware is covered with a non-lead transparent glaze and baked. When the pieces are baked at 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,832 degrees Farhenheit), the straw burns up, giving the products gaps and imperfections, like the terracotta before it became industrialised.

Read more about the material here.