Thanks to our amazing collaborator, archeological illustrator, John O’Carroll, Joseph Bull, an experienced potter from Oxford, joined the project. We just had a Zoom talk with Joseph and can't wait to start working together. We discussed contacts like Mike Tite and Luciana da Costa Carvalho for insights into Egyptian paste and its unique fluorescent properties.
One major topic was material sourcing and experimentation. Joseph and John are busy experimenting with the making of the Egyptian blue in England. They will be joining us from the 2nd till the 17th of April to work with us on recreating the pigment. We also explored the possibility of using locally sourced Egyptian materials to replicate ancient techniques as authentically as possible.
Technically, Joseph was concerned about dyeing the film in blue and proposed with John O'Carroll an alternative: creating a lens or filter using Egyptian blue for film projection. Additionally, we considered different kiln designs and firing techniques to achieve the desired pigment effects. Hamouda's well-equipped pottery studio in Cairo will be useful for these experiments, as it includes both electric and gas-fired kilns. We discussed traditional ground-dug kilns in Minya, which we may have access to for further experimentation.
For next steps, Joseph will send additional research materials and conduct initial tests with John, while we will follow up with Hamouda and coordinate material sourcing.
We are glad that technical and logistical considerations are now taking shape. We’re looking forward to taking these ideas further and seeing how they develop in the coming months.