Within the OER project we harvest iron ore from different wetlands across Europe. The first location is Vessem, a groundwater protection area under the control of Brabant Water. Here, the water is extracted from sources of dozens of meters deep and in order to make this water drinkable it undergoes an extensive process of filtration.

One of the residues of this filtration is oxidized iron, in Dutch called “oer”. This solid residual can be characterized by its deep red color. Kirstie and Lotte worked together on a material research based upon the harvested iron sludge. The outcome are several pigments and glazes applicable to ceramics during workshops hosted monthly in their studio.