Azurite

Name: Reut Ullman and Tenzin Dongchung
Date and Time:

2017.10.10, 6:30pm

Location: 260 Chandler
Subject: Azurite grinding

Ingredients:
Azurite rock (Kraemer)
water

Equipment:
Muller
Glass board
Knife
Pestle and mortar

To make Azurite pigment, we first began by selecting the Kraemer Azurite rock to grind, using a pestle and mortar. The grinding was easy, and produced a fine powder within a mere minute. This quick and simple process was due to the purity of the Azurite rock chosen.
We then transferred the powder onto a glass board, followed by a splash of water, just enough to moisten the powder, and began to mull. The mulling was a long and laborious process, taking well over 30 minutes to reach the desired consistency. When the azurite mixture was ready for use, the mulling sound was supposed to be soft, rather than scratchy, which was the case when we first began mulling, and the mulling itself was supposed to be smooth, but which was otherwise harsh, jerky, requiring considerable hand and arm power to be applied. Once the azurite mulling was complete, the mixture was transferred into a small container. Then, 20-30 mussel shells were laid out, and we scooped a finger full of azurite mixture into a single shell, poured some water into the shell, and began to twirl, and swish the water inside the shell, to dissolve, or lavigate (kind of sounds like levitate), the azurite mixture in the water. Our efforts were not realized until the contents of the first shell were transferred into a second shell that was then filled with water, and the same finger swirling process was repeated. When the third shell was used to transfer the mixture once more, at the bottom of second shell a visibly bright blue pigment emerged. Hazza! Triumph!
I (Reut) proceeded to use 20-30 mussel shells, they were rather small, yielding only tiny amounts of blue pigment, but was then, thanks to Naomi, availed the use of large seashells. I repeated the process as before outlined, the blue pigment emerging in larger quantities, and brighter in colour. The change of quantity and brightness of colour were owed to a larger azurite mixture used to fill the shell, and the colour of the shell, which had a light cavity, considerably lighter than that of the mussel shell. While I have used many many shells, I picked out 8-10 best ones and laid those out to dry, for azurite painting later in the week.

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Name: Reut Ullman, flying solo
Date and Time:

2017.10.24, 1:00pm

Location: 260 Chandler
Subject: Grinding out azurite

Ingredients
Distilled water
Shells with dried azurite

Equipment
Muller
Plastic dropper
Wide ceramic plate
Knife
Plastic container

I began by scrapping off azurite from the shells into a ceramic plate, using a metal knife and then my fingers, as the knife made a piercing scratching sound, repulsive to the ear. The azurite came off very easily, and even more so with fingers than a knife. While scraping both with knife and fingers, I noticed tiny shavings of shell coating detaching together with the azurite, which I had to careful pick apart. Having scrapped off all the azurite, or however much in my opinion I could have conceivably scrapped off, others disagreed, using a dropper, I splashed 2 ml of distilled water, the water generously coated the azurite powder. Using using a muller, I proceeded to mull the azurite. The mulling was easy and smooth; the pigment turned a beautiful sea-blue, deeper with added water, and on circular movement made by the muller, I noticed the azurite pigment almost separating from the water. I then splashed the azurite pigment with additional 2 ml of distilled water, mulled it once more, and on passing notice of Pamela was told that the azurite pigment was ready, and no further mulling should be done. I scraped the watery pigment into a small plastic container, and left it open to dry in the fume hood.

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Name: (Also the name of your working partner)
Date and Time:

2016.[Month].[Day], [hh]:[mm][am/pm]

Location:
Subject:

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ASPECTS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN MAKING FIELD NOTES

• note time
• note (changing) conditions in the room
• note temperature of ingredients to be processed (e.g. cold from fridge, room temperature etc.)
• document materials, equipment, and processes in writing and with photographs
• notes on ingredients and equipment (where did you get them? issues of authenticity)
• note precisely the scales and temperatures you used (please indicate how you interpreted imprecise recipe instruction)
• see also our informal template for recipe reconstructions

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