Sinkhole Vessels by Liliana Ovalle at Grandmateria III
London Design Festival 2013: Mexican designer Liliana Ovalle is presenting a series of clay vessels based on the geological phenomenon of sinkholes as part of a group show at Gallery Libby Sellers in London.
![dezeen_Sinkhole Vessels by Liliana Ovalle_1](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/09/dezeen_Sinkhole-Vessels-by-Liliana-Ovalle_1.jpg)
Ovalle based the irregular shapes of the vessels on the idea of sinkholes forming below ground, creating voids that the ground suddenly disappears into.
![dezeen_Sinkhole Vessels by Liliana Ovalle_3](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/09/dezeen_Sinkhole-Vessels-by-Liliana-Ovalle_3.jpg)
"The black vessels stand as a representation of the geological phenomena of sinkholes, a portrayal of those voids that emerge abruptly from the ground, dissolving their surroundings into an irretrievable space," said Ovalle.
![dezeen_Sinkhole Vessels by Liliana Ovalle_6](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/09/dezeen_Sinkhole-Vessels-by-Liliana-Ovalle_6.jpg)
Individually made oak frames that represent a cross section of the ground support the vessels, whose open ends interrupt the flat surfaces on top of the frames.
![dezeen_Sinkhole Vessels by Liliana Ovalle_5](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/09/dezeen_Sinkhole-Vessels-by-Liliana-Ovalle_5.jpg)
To produce the clay pieces, Ovalle worked with Colectivo 1050º, a group of artists, designers and makers in Oaxaca, Mexico, that supports artisanal skills currently facing the threat of extinction.
![dezeen_Sinkhole Vessels by Liliana Ovalle_7](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/09/dezeen_Sinkhole-Vessels-by-Liliana-Ovalle_7.jpg)
"By making reference to different process of extinction, the Sinkhole project aims to reflect and extend the permanence of what seems to be inevitably falling into a void," explained Ovalle.
![dezeen_Sinkhole Vessels by Liliana Ovalle_2](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/09/dezeen_Sinkhole-Vessels-by-Liliana-Ovalle_2.jpg)
The vases are shaped by hand using tools such as corn cobs and pieces of leather and the blackened finish is achieved by exposing the fired clay to an open flame.
![dezeen_Sinkhole Vessels by Liliana Ovalle_8](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/09/dezeen_Sinkhole-Vessels-by-Liliana-Ovalle_8.jpg)
The project is being exhibited as part of a group show called Grandmateria III at Gallery Libby Sellers during the London Design Festival, and will continue to be shown until 5 October 2013.
![dezeen_Sinkhole Vessels by Liliana Ovalle_9](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/09/dezeen_Sinkhole-Vessels-by-Liliana-Ovalle_9.jpg)
Ovalle previously designed a sofa based on the ad-hoc furniture that is prevalent in Mexico City, comprising a wooden bench with a metal frame to which beanbags and blankets can be knotted.
![dezeen_Sinkhole Vessels by Liliana Ovalle_11](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/09/dezeen_Sinkhole-Vessels-by-Liliana-Ovalle_11.jpg)
Having graduated from London's Royal College of Art in 2006, Ovalle joined the Okay Studio design collective in 2011, and continues to operate from their space close to the Dezeen offices in Stoke Newington – see more projects by Okay Studio designers.
![dezeen_Sinkhole Vessels by Liliana Ovalle_12](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/09/dezeen_Sinkhole-Vessels-by-Liliana-Ovalle_12.jpg)
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![dezeen_Sinkhole Vessels by Liliana Ovalle_13](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/09/dezeen_Sinkhole-Vessels-by-Liliana-Ovalle_13.jpg)
Photography is by Kytzhia Barrera and Liliana Ovalle.
Here are some more details and captioned images from the designer:
Sinkhole Vessels
Design: Liliana Ovalle
Production: Colectivo 1050º
![dezeen_Sinkhole Vessels by Liliana Ovalle_14](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/09/dezeen_Sinkhole-Vessels-by-Liliana-Ovalle_14.jpg)
The Sinkhole project is the result of a collaboration between Liliana Ovalle and Colectivo 1050º.
![dezeen_Sinkhole Vessels by Liliana Ovalle_15](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/09/dezeen_Sinkhole-Vessels-by-Liliana-Ovalle_15.jpg)
The black vessels stand as a representation of the geological phenomena of sinkholes, a portrayal of those voids that emerge abruptly from the ground, dissolving their surroundings into an irretrievable space.
![dezeen_Sinkhole Vessels by Liliana Ovalle_16](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/09/dezeen_Sinkhole-Vessels-by-Liliana-Ovalle_16.jpg)
Each vessel is suspended in a wooden frame, alluding to a cross section of the ground that reveals the hidden topographies.
![dezeen_Sinkhole Vessels by Liliana Ovalle_17](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/09/dezeen_Sinkhole-Vessels-by-Liliana-Ovalle_17.jpg)
The clay shapes, based in local archetypes for utilitarian pottery, are crafted by ceramists from Tlapazola, Oaxaca using ancestral techniques and skills that are struggling to find a place in the contemporary global landscape.
![dezeen_Sinkhole Vessels by Liliana Ovalle_18](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/09/dezeen_Sinkhole-Vessels-by-Liliana-Ovalle_18.jpg)
By making reference to different process of extinction, the Sinkhole project aims to reflect and extend the permanence of what seems to be inevitably falling into a void.
![dezeen_Sinkhole Vessels by Liliana Ovalle_19](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/09/dezeen_Sinkhole-Vessels-by-Liliana-Ovalle_19.jpg)
Sinkhole Vessels will be showcased at the exhibition Grandmateria III, at Gallery Libby Sellers, during the London Design Festival.
![dezeen_Sinkhole Vessels by Liliana Ovalle_20](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/09/dezeen_Sinkhole-Vessels-by-Liliana-Ovalle_20.jpg)