beautiful mud

there’s something elemental about playing with mud, or clay that almost everyone i know has experienced (or is experiencing all over again as an adult) and recalls as one of the more wonderful memories they have. i still see children - and sometimes adults - playing on muddy hillsides or slopes, shaping the paths of little rain-driven rivulets, redirecting the flow of water, building miniature dams and waiting ‘till they overflow or burst their muddy little walls and unleash a torrent of muddy water on the sleeping ants and worms downriver.

a favourite memory of mine connected to clay stems from my first experience with a day camp. located amazingly enough right next to the don valley parkway in toronto, camp mildalaca as it was called brought together kids from several don mills neighbourhoods and put them in an outdoor setting featuring tents, and a huge fire circle, arts and crafts, swimming (in a nearby pool), archery, hikes through the don valley. all-in-all it was an amazing experience.

one experience that really sticks with me though (pun unintended but still pretty good!) is a day on which we were invited to leave the area of the camp and walk over to the shore of a tributary of the don river. in a little beach area bounded by an area of undercut shoreline my group gathered to scoop handfuls of soft grey clay. each of us scooped up the slippery shiny muck and rolled it in the palms of our hands into a fist sized ball. later when we returned to the camp area we made little ashtrays or bowls and after they had dried painted them with flowers and zig zag lines. we took them home and gave them to our parents who dutifully put them on display and later - well who knows where they all are now?

it might have been such an experience that led someone long ago to formalize the process of playing and shaping clay into a quasi artform named hikoru dorodango.

william gibson, the brilliant canadian cyberpunk author hailing from british columbia described it this way: “"[A]n artifact of such utter simplicity and perfection that it seems it must be either the first object or the last..."

at some point i’ll really write about william gibson but for now go here to read gibson’s essay about the japanese pursuit of perfection which focusses on hikoru dorodango:
http://burningcity.com/gibson_tate.jpg

and then go here for a really beautiful site devoted to the same subject:
http://37days.typepad.com/37days/2006/10/polish_your_mud.html

for those of you having difficulty imagining anyone writing about shiny mud balls then read these articles and see how the notion of mud perfected is embedded in a larger cultural state in which meaning can be created from our encounters with the apparently meaningless or worthless.

for those of you interested in skipping past the cerebrality of it all and wishing to just get on with it, instructions for making your own shiny mudball can be found here
http://www.dorodango.com/create.html or right below!

Text and images below courtesy of the good people at dorodango.com.

here are the instructions for creating your very own hikoru dorodango.

Step 1: Create the Mud
In a clean container, add water to the dirt. The ratio of water to dirt will vary depending on the type of dirt. Start by adding a small amount of water, mix, and slowly add more water until the mud reaches an even consistency, similar to dough.

Step 2: Create the Core:
Grab a handful of mud and begin to shape it into a sphere with both hands, squeeze out as much water as you can. Eliminate irregularities from the mass by gently shaking it. The vibration removes voids, increases surface moisture, and facilitates compaction. As you shape/shake the mud, clayey particles will migrate to the surface, forming a slip layer that will make it easier to smooth the mass into a sphere. Proceed to Step 3 when the ball becomes tacky to the touch.

Step 3: Create Preliminary Capsule
Holding the ball in one hand, grab handfuls of dirt with the other and sprinkle the dirt over the ball. With your thumb, gently sweep the excess off, rotating the ball as you do so. Use the outer curvature of your thumb, near the base, to do this. Fumio Kayo has a great video that demonstrates this technique. The newly added dirt will absorb the surface moisture very quickly. Work the ball to point where it retains its shape but isn't so dry that cracks begin to form.

Step 4: Draw the Moisture Out
Insert the ball into a plastic bag. At first, you will only need to do this for 20 minutes or so. Be careful to lay the ball on something soft to prevent a flat area from forming. Water will condense on the inside of the bag and the surface of the ball will become wet again. Remove the ball and repeat Step 3. Return the ball to the bag before cracks begin to appear.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the ball begins to feel leather-hard to the touch. You will find that it takes longer for water to condense on the inside of the bag - you can accelerate the process at this point by putting the bag and dorodango in the refrigerator. Note: This will cause the water to condense very quickly, be careful to remove it before too much water condenses out - it will dissolve the ball where it gathers at the bottom of the bag.

Step 5: Create Final Capsule Layer
The brilliant shine of the dorodango is created by applying a final layer of extremely fine particles of dirt. I use two different methods to do this:
On-Site - When you have unlimited access to the dirt that you're working with, simply pat the dry dirt lightly with your hand. Gently rub the fine particles that stick to your hand over the ball.
Off-Site - When you have limited access to the dirt you're working with, screen the dirt into a plastic container with a lid - a regular window screen works fine. Place the lid on the container and shake. Note: If the lid of the container doesn't seal completely, be sure to wear a dust mask. Wait a few minutes for the dust to settle. Remove the lid; there should be an abundance of very fine dust sticking to the sides. Rub the dust into the ball.
Continue this process until the surface moisture of the ball has been completely absorbed (it looks and feels powdery). Insert the ball into a new plastic bag. Repeat this step as many times as possible to create a thick capsule. When the fine particles no longer adhere to the surface of the ball after you take it out of the bag, you're ready to begin polishing.

Step 6: Polishing
Remove the ball from the bag and let it dry for 20 minutes. Polish with a soft cloth - carefully at first - if any moisture is present, the cloth will mar the surface. Polish or buff more vigorously once the ball is dry.

and here is what you can end up with depending on the type of mud you find in your neighbourhood and then also, depending on the type of dedication you have to achieve this truly spectacular end.