Ceremonial Set (Food-Safe Set of 3 Plates)
Ceremonial Set (Food-Safe Set of 3 Plates)
Ceremonial Set (Food-Safe Set of 3 Plates)
Ceremonial Set (Food-Safe Set of 3 Plates)
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  • Load image into Gallery viewer, Ceremonial Set (Food-Safe Set of 3 Plates)
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Ceremonial Set (Food-Safe Set of 3 Plates)

$245.00
$245.00
Sold out

Artists: Kim Aram and Kim Nayeon
Traditional Korean Ottchil
Dimensions: Large: 8.75L x 4.5W x .5H; Medium: 4.5W x 4.5 W x 1H; Small: 2.75L x 2.75W x 2H

We call this set of three food-safe serving plates the Ceremonial Set to honor four traditional Korean ancestral rites: The coming of age, wedding, funeral and ancestral rites. At all rites of passage, food is served without exception.

The food-safe Ceremonial Set is lacquered in Ottchil, a natural sap from the Ott Tree, an art practice that has been in existence for hundreds –if not thousands–of years. When wood is covered in Ottchil, it becomes resistant to insects, water, and humidity. Artists Kim Aram and Kim Nayeon layer a single coat every day, so these pieces can take up to two months to finish. Ottchil as a practice is about repetition and painting on the lacquer hundreds of times. Each coat of Ottchil makes the piece darker and glossier.

The product(s) you receive might vary slightly from the product picture due to the nature of your product(s) being 100% handmade. Any item you purchase is one of a kind. There are no two items that are exactly the same.

Care: Ottchil reacts to natural exposure to sun, and can become brighter if left in the sun 2-3 days. If you like the dark and glossy Ottchil color, please store the Namu Home Goods Ceremonial Set in a cabinet. Use soft material to hand wash and dry it. Not dishwasher, microwave, or oven-safe. Please don't place it in water for a long period of time.

Namu Home Goods Ott Ott Ottchil Food Plates

As they work with Ottchil every day, the quality of their art continues to get better and better.

Artists Kim Nayeon and Kim Aram both studied Ottchil in college though they came to find the practice in two different ways. Kim Aram started off as a metal worker, but she found the medium cold and devoid of life. She gravitated towards the warmth of wood and then to Ottchil, the traditional practice of painting natural lacquer onto wood to make it resistant to water, bacteria and insects. Ottchil takes the natural sap from the Ott tree and with patience, is brushed onto wood in hundreds of thin layers in order to expand its uses. Kim Aram’s partner Kim Nayeon always loved wood, and started off by studying furniture making. While she loved wood, lugging the lumber was too hard on her body – the physicality of the medium made her reconsider a different way of working with wood. The two friends started their Ottchil practice together five years ago. Kim Aram and Kim Nayeon true expertise comes from repeatedly working on their technique. As they work with Ottchil every day, the quality of their art continues to get better and better. Each coat of ottchil makes the piece darker and glossier. Every day the artists do one coat and their pieces can take up to two months to finish as they continue to coat each layer slowly. It takes extraordinary patience to work with Ottchil.

Namu Home Goods Ottchil Natural Lacquer Food Plates
Namu Home Goods Ott Ott Ottchil Food Safe Natural Lacquer Wood Plates
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