iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Pilgrims horns drying in the sun… These were sold in great quantity to pilgrims from the 12th century onward. They are not really musical instruments, more “noise make toys” but they do that very well! I made a few of the very early ones and the spiral ones are 15-16th century #medieval #pottery

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Impressive to see them all together!

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Idk… I think we need more DIY, non-perfect music…

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

A little tune for my birthday… Played on my DIY Talharpa… the tune is called Långdans Från Sollerön #talharpa #tagelharpa #jouhikko #swedishfolkmusic #scandi #medieval #livinghistory

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Please don’t perpetuate the “this will be over in 4 years” narrative… for one… you cannot afford to wait 4 years. Second, they will never concede defeat

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

Tea and teaware Making product photos for tea and teaware. Not a process I particularly enjoy… I prefer drinking tea and making pots… but it must be done This is a reduction ash glazed bowl and a purple bud red tea #tea #pottery #teaware #ceramics #gongfucha #teabowl #productphotography

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

Patterns… When your drying rack is full but stuff needs to go into the kiln soon, it is very fortunate to be able to spam one’s mother’s kitchen table! #pottery #ceramics #craft #clay

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

Thank you! I experimented a lot… people often don’t believe it isn’t reduction… (but the glaze is completely different in my gas kiln) One thing I found is that it matters a lot where your ash comes from. This is 60% oak 40 % trimmings from willow/birch/alder etc (so lots of bark)

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

My version of builders tea 😁 These Gaiwans were glazed with a simple ash glaze and fired to cone 10 in oxidation #gaiwan #tea #gongfucha #pottery #ceramics #builderstea

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

I don’t understand vases… This one turned out well but it mostly reminds me of the importance of having a deep understanding of the functional criteria of what you make. I have that for teaware… but not for vases #pottery #craftmanship #craft #ceramics #porcelain

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

Side handle teapot with cups I made this a long time ago but am still in love with the natural color of the clay A wooden handle feels very natural and helps with focus, but they take a lot of time to make #tea #gongfucha #pottery #ceramics #meditation

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

Yes… pretty much… my universal answer was “it depends…”

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

I design my glazes for the effect they have on texture / mouthfeel of the tea… this one was a wildcard, chosen for aesthetics, and the texture turned out to be horrid… so… not usable for tea

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

It is… but a glaze that is designed for tea enhances the texture / mouthfeel… the texture was horrible and hardly any of the fragrance was left…

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Experiments fail… I made this gaiwan… I love how it looks and feels… but the glaze is horrible for tea 😬 Back to the drawing board… #tea #gongfucha #ceramics #pottery #gaiwan

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Fair enough… but I don’t think that is my mission. I only want to create things that add some value to the world… I can do that with cups, bowl and side handles… not so much with gongfu cha pots…

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

I don’t often make gongfu cha teapots… you can’t really beat Zisha after all… but sometimes I do it anyway… Both cups and pot are glazed with shino and reduction fired to cone 12 #tea #pottery #ceramics #gongfucha #shino

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

Tea bowl during a winter tea meditation… I usually make bowls for regular use when drinking tea, but sometimes it is nice to have a unique piece for a private moment Fired in reduction to come 12 with “tree bark” effect emphasised by iron oxide and simple ash glaze on the inside #pottery #tea

Teabowl in a winter setting with flowers

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

😁 yes! I will post some! Not from this firing specifically, but I fire regularly so there will be some pictures of the shino and ash glazes soon!

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Most of my pottery gets fired to cone 12 reduction… that is quite hot, but it allows me to make glazes of simple things like wood ash, kaolin and quartz without anything else… Here my home made gas kiln is nearly there 1270’C ish #pottery #gaskiln #ceramics #ashglaze

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

My sculpting days are mostly over… but a throwback is nice sometimes! (I threw the teapot on a potters wheel… the lid doesn’t come off but otherwise it is functional) #ceramics #pottery #sculpture #gongfucha #tea

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

there can be fear too... I vividly fear boredom, a situation where i have to pay attention to something utterly uninteresting causes me physical pain, and I definitely fear those situations, because you can't get out without even more pain so you just sit there, suffering... I am terrified of that

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

Do you really think that would help? The cronies and oligarchs are in power now and they will not relinquish it lightly...

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

Very awesome comparison between horsehair and dacron strings on a Talharpa... also the playing in impressively consistent... bit blown away by it really... www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMZV... #tagelharpa #talharpa #eldrim #horsehair

youtube.com

Dacron vs Horse tail strings

YouTube video by ELDRIM

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

Channeling my inner Shepard… practicing on the seljefløyte / willow flute at middeleeuws erf de Bergkamp last summer… this was my first flute and PVC… but the sound is suitably ancient! #koncovka #sälgflöjt #overtoneflute

Man in medieval clothes playing the willow flute in front of a medieval farm building

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 23/11/2024

Do the Fear canceling goggles show you what you are afraid of but just out of fase?

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 23/11/2024

Time for some music and Talharpa appreciation... Awesome tune played by Daniel Pettersson (Polska efter J Bruun) I am learning it... but... it is so much harder than he makes it look 😬 www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6P8... #tagelharpa

youtube.com

Polska efter J Bruun

YouTube video by Daniel Pettersson-Spelman

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 23/11/2024

The earliest depiction of a bowed lyre (bottom left) in the Werden psalter 1030-1060 AD) I would really like to know what they were playing… #medievalmusic #Talharpa #tagelharpa #jouhikko

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 23/11/2024

If you have listened to the audiobook you can say you have read the book because specifying that you listened to it is not relevant to what it means to have read a book Reading and listening are different skill sets though…

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

The original Dorestad lamp would have been used like this… but they aren’t very safe if you haven’t been using open oil lamps your entire life… so I make smaller versions filled with (scented) candle wax, for people who don’t want to burn their house down… #dorestad #oillamp #ceramics #history

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

The clicking of the keys of the Nyckelharpa fit very well with necromantic bard!

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Xander Rijkee @dreamsofclay.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

Working hard to make some more medieval pottery for the Archeon Midwinterfair… (but to be fair… not on this wheel, I am using my electric one)

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