potted carbon
An heirloom porcelain pot handcrafted with sequestered carbon.
One of the biggest tasks ahead of us in the effort to mitigate climate change is reengineering what we do with our ‘disposable’ materials. The ‘Blue Marble’ photo of 1972 showed a generation that there is no ‘away.’ Now, our generation must create systems where nothing can be called ‘waste.’
about
Every day, millions of tons of organic waste—food scraps, yard trimmings, municipal sludge—end up in landfills, where trapped beneath plastic and other barriers, they decompose anaerobically. That decomposition releases methane, a greenhouse gas over 20 times more potent than CO₂, contributing emissions equivalent to more than 20 million cars annually, with landfills accounting for 15% of US methane emissions in 2018.
PROJECT ROLEs
-
In collaboration with my partner Garrett Benisch under our studio Sum, we created Potted Carbon to reframe how future generations might perceive our age: not through plastic pollution, but through artifacts that signal ecological awakening. Crafted by hand at BREAK Studio in Oakland, each porcelain pot contains minute flecks of sequestered carbon derived from municipal organic waste.
-
Echoing the form language of ancient, hand‑thrown vessels, the design anchors our present-day technology in a timeless archetype. The subtle black flecks embedded within the porcelain gesture toward transformation—carbon locked in place, silently narrating both loss and intentionality.
-
Garrett and I directed and produced all photography, video, and graphics to reinforce the concept of an “artifact of change”—visual storytelling that underscores the pot as both functional object and environmental statement.
-
The pot’s shape is low and wide with a flat vertical face, naturally drawing the viewer’s gaze to its material integrity. Two sympathetic indentations echo vessel handles from ancient design, inviting tactile engagement and attention. They also serve a functional purpose—facilitating placement of nursery pots on the rim, allowing drainage and simplifying watering.
industrial design
The design of the planter is simple and modern, showing a flat vertical face to frame its carbon locked material. Two indentations on opposing sides of the planter pay homage to handles on ancient vessels and invite you to lift the planter up in both of your hands, to give it your full attention.
The indents also give flexibility to the diameter of the planter’s edge so that varying nursery pots can be set on the rim to display a plant without fully potting it. Suspending a nursery pot leaves room under it for drainage to reduce risk of overwatering and eliminate the opportunity for water to escape the bottom.
