The Girel 3E kiln
It seems important to us today to widen our research and experiment with what are known as “the next generation of kilns”. This kind of kiln is an initiative by the renowned ceramist and Master of Art Jean Girel.
The Girel 3E ceramic kiln is a high-performance tool, with a minimal carbon footprint, which allows us to stop using electricity and fossil fuels. It is the ideal kiln for any designer who wants to harmonize his ethics and his practice, while giving an additional asset to his aesthetics.
This kiln meets three fundamental contemporary requirements, the 3E’s namely :
Ergonomic: only one person can carry out the firing, without having to bend down or move to feed the fire or make adjustments. The chamber is wide but shallow, so it is easily accessible, and the loading is done standing up.
Economical to build and to use: self-built in a few days, it costs 4 times less than a gas kiln of the same volume. With its capacity of 650 useful liters, it consumes between 150 and 200 kg of wood for a firing at more than 1300°.
Ecological: thanks to its post-combustion system, the kiln rejects clean smokes into the atmosphere, consumes very little wood, can be dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere if necessary.
The flexibility of its control allows for refined glazes as well as the wildest flame or ash effects, lightning cooling rates or maturation of a few days.
Project planning and progress
Between May and June 2022, Jean Girel is training a team of artists made up of 10 to 15 of the ACLB’s professional ceramists along with art school students to build and use a new generation of wood-fired kiln, which he has himself designed.
In October 2022 for the ‘Grands Feux’ event by the team of artists.
Project produced in partnership with:
– The Ceramics Association of La Borne
– TALM-Tours College of Art and Design
– TALM-Le Mans College of Art and Design
This kiln has been built with funding from the ‘Mobilisation for Climate and Ecological Transition’ scheme of the Centre-Val de Loire Region.
For more information about the Girel 3E kiln and a description with plans and instructions:
https://hermansgirel.wixsite.com
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