Crystalline II
Terracotta
1,000 pieces of 5,5×7,5×7,5cm
2025

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Crystalline II is a smoked terracotta installation composed of approximately 1,000 identical modules (7.5cmx7.5 cmx5.5cm) that interlock to configure diverse overall forms.

Its title references the process of crystallization through which minerals form within the earth: an organic process where particles reorganize into ordered, repeating structures.

The conceptual core of the work draws on New Materialism, holding that matter is not an inert or passive entity, but possesses its own agency, tendencies, movements, and potential.

From this perspective, form is not imposed upon matter from the outside; rather, it emerges from its intrinsic conditions and possibilities. Matter organizes, transforms, and generates form through physical and dynamic processes.

Just as crystallographic structures contain an intrinsic geometric order derived from self-organization, Crystalline II is built from the possibilities inherent in its own modules. Each assembly proposes a new, transformable composition.

Crystalline II incorporates a mathematical dimension through a self-supporting internal structure, articulated by the iteration of a single module and its mirror image (A and B), whose top faces fit seamlessly into the bottom faces.

From the arrangement of the 1,000 modules across eight alternating horizontal strata, a topographical surface emerges. The internal geometric structure remains intact, while the ensemble gives rise to geometric plateaus, canyons, fissures, and columns that evoke a shifting landscape situated between the virtual and the organic.

This artwork is the outcome of geometric research developed since my doctoral studies, during which I created a proprietary two-dimensional tessellation method titled Metamorphosis. Based on Dominique Douat’s system of permutations, it allows for the generation of all possible figures through the rotation of a segmented line on a grid, exploring assembly variations of the resulting tiles to yield complex, continually metamorphosing patterns. Crystalline II is the volumetric translation of this combinatory process.

The work is crafted using Tefaline clay, a local earth from Tetouan characterized by high plasticity, allowing the angles and faces designed digitally to be transferred into the mold with high precision.

The pieces are fired in traditional wood kilns and then subjected to a two-week low-temperature reduction smoking process. Without any added glaze, the terracotta absorbs carbon, acquiring a visual and tactile quality reminiscent of burned or charred wood.

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Photos by Artur Weber