DesignMarch 2016: Icelandic designer Garðar Eyjólfsson has created a range of yellow ceramics by melting and moulding sulphur (+ slideshow).

In Iceland, the element sulphur has historically been used as a fuel to provide heat and exported to be turned into gunpowder. Today, Icelanders mainly associate the yellow-coloured substance with the geothermal plants that are central to the island's electricity and hot-water supply.

But Eyjólfsson has used the material to create his Sulphur Archive collection of small trays and bowls.

He spoke to Dezeen about the supposedly damaging sulphur pollution caused by these plants, and said he was drawn to "the relationship between the local habitants and the material in relation to the notion of balance between gain and sacrifice".
Related story: Icelandic designer creates floatation caps and armbands for bathing in geothermal water

"I was mainly fascinated by the idea of making this seemingly intangible material in today's context tangible and relevant again," he said. "As a first step in this ongoing project I decided to research and develop new crafted methods with the material. To create contemporary crafts with this unorthodox material. In a way make the material visible, relevant."

"In a way I liked the idea of reinventing the concept of ceramics in a island with no heritage relating to traditional ceramics, we have never used local materials in order to create ...