HANDS:
hands
hands title:
§27. Imperfections
hands date:
10 March 2026
hands text:
The machine was perfect.
That was the trouble with it.
That was the trouble with it.
01
Much of my work consists of removing irregularities. Wandering joints, awkward cuts and visual distractions rarely look good.
02
But traditional materials teach a different lesson. Not every irregularity is a mistake.
People encountering traditional tiles for the first time are sometimes surprised by how different they are from one another. Terracotta varies in colour. Handmade ceramics differ in size. Moroccan zellige refuses to align with the precision of machine-made products. The grout joints change from one tile to the next.
03
Perfect symmetry can be impressive, but it can feel distant too.
We do not love things because they are perfect. We love them because they reveal that something real happened here.
The slight variation in colour tells us that clay passed through a kiln. Differences in texture show the material. Changing grout joints remind us that the tiles were shaped by hands rather than machines.
04
Some differences need correcting. Others remind us that the material, the maker and reality itself all had their say.