Jacques Monneraud designs cardboard-like ceramics collection

French ceramicist Jacques Monneraud has created Carton, a collection of ceramics that appear to be crafted from cardboard and tape.

The collection, consisting of vases, pitchers and teapots, was inspired by the disposable nature and materiality of cardboard.

“I have always been very sensitive to things that time deteriorates, things that don’t last,” Monneraud told Dezeen of the collection, which he called “a mockery to our world of overproduction and overconsumption.”

In order to achieve the realistic cardboard appearance of the ceramics, Monneraud combined three different stonewares to create an accurate texture and colour.

The accompanying pieces of white tape are made from glaze, the design of which required a long and methodical process.

“[They are] the result of hundreds of tests to find the right recipe,” he said.

Despite looking like rapidly assembled cardboard and tape, the collection’s production process involved extensive refinement.

“The pieces represent a real technical challenge,” Monneraud explained.

“It took me about a year and a half to obtain the result I wanted. The shaping process requires enormous attention to detail and leaves no room for error.”

Monneraud, who began his ceramics practice in 2021, explained that the pieces also intend to challenge expectations of how they interact with water.

“The contrast of a cardboard object containing water is striking,” he said.

“When a drop runs down the side, we have the impression that the entire object will decompose and that the water will flood the room.”

The vases, pitchers and teapots are functional and waterproof, though intended to be mainly decorative for their delicate form.

Each piece has intricate detailing, which Monneraud designed to “freeze fragility”.

The ceramicist said that the idea that the pieces will last longer when crafted from ceramic instead of cardboard is an element that fascinates him about the collection, referencing its “paradoxical nature”.

“If someone hid one of my pieces, it could still be on Earth in 3,000 years,” he added.

Monneraud intends to continue growing the Carton collection.

“I’m really looking forward to continuing to explore the endless shapes I have in mind and creating larger vases,” he said.

Monneraud is based in Anglet, France. His previous ceramic work has included eggcups, oil bottles and bowls.

Other unusual ceramics on Dezeen include a vase inspired by the bloom of flowers by Pettersen & Hein and a brick made from recycled ceramics to mitigate flooding by Yi Design.

All images courtesy of Jacques Monneraud.