BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN PRODID:adamgibbons/ics METHOD:PUBLISH X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VEVENT UID:21004@offbeat.amsterdam SUMMARY:kiln as kin: clay oven building workshop DTSTAMP:20260420T193002Z DTSTART:20260509T080000Z DTEND:20260509T150000Z DESCRIPTION:tandoor\, tannour\, tandir\, tonir—an ancient underground clay oven. Carrying\ndifferent names\, the tonir belongs to a family of ovens t hat are found across\nCentral and South Asia and the MENA regions. The ove n has always been a central\ngathering point. In Armenian cultural traditi on it was seen as a symbol of the\n‘sun in the ground’—existing as a sacre d space in the home for baking bread\,\ncooking\, and performing rituals.  \n\nDuring this workshop we will build a tonir-style clay oven together in the\nground at Four Siblings [https:]\, using clay\, soil\, and sand from their land.\nSoil is one of the most abundant materials on earth\, yet it remains one of the\nmost overlooked. It is an extraordinary material to b uild with: it breathes\,\nholds thermal inertia\, and connects us directly to the land we inhabit. For\nthousands of years\, our ancestors have work ed with soil in many ways: growing\nfood\, shaping ceramics\, building ove ns and kitchens to cook with fire\, and\nconstructing homes. In many moder n societies\, however\, soil is often treated as\nwaste. How did we end up living so disconnected from such an abundant material?\n\nWe will be guid ed by ceramist\, builder\, artisan\, teacher\, and researcher Tatiana\nM. Melo. In Tatiana’s practice she transforms soil into kilns\, seeing them n ot\nonly as firing tools but as spaces of encounter\, transformation\, and ritual. For\nTatiana\, building with earth is also a gesture of remembran ce and care: a way of\nhonoring the knowledge of our ancestors and the lan d we live on. Gathering\naround fire becomes a space not only for transfor ming food\, but also for\nreflecting on the narratives that shape how we l ive and where we are going\n\nIn this day-long workshop\, we will learn ho w to understand soil and use it for\ndifferent purposes as we learn by doi ng collectively. We will start with a\ntheoretical explanation about soil\ , earthen plasters\, and wood-fired ovens\,\nfollowed by the collective bu ilding of the tonir-style clay oven. Alongside the\nlarger oven\, we will also build a small stove.\n\nThese kilns will be activated on June 13th\, during kiln as kin: a day of\ngathering\, firing\, cooking [https:]\, wher e we will prepare food\, cook\, and eat\ntogether as a way to share knowle dge about food systems\, forgotten recipes\, and\nlost rituals.\n\nWe will be working outside\, so please dress appropriately for the weather. \n\nL unch will be provided. There are only 15 spots available!\n\nTicket: €30St udent and solidarity ticket: €20\n\nBuy your tickets at via Eventbrite [ht tps:].\n\nLocation: Four Siblings [https:]\, President Allendelaan 1\, 106 4 GW Amsterdam\n\nTatiana M. Melo is a transdisciplinary artist from Barce lona\, living in the\ncountryside of La Garrotxa. She works with clay and ceramics—activating the\nmemory of territory through ritual objects made w ith stones\, ashes\, and words\ngathered from the community. Her practice centers on the transformation of soil\ninto kilns\, understood not only as firing tools\, but as spaces of encounter\,\ntransformation\, and ritual. She explores clay as an ancestral material\, applying\nsustainable practi ces to construction and everyday objects. She has organized\nworkshops and gatherings on collective building\, ceramics\, and community\,\ncollabora ting with artists and researchers to rethink the relationship between\nhum ans\, materials\, and the environment.\n\nInstagram Tatiana M. Melo [https :]\n\nFour Siblings is a land based art and research project. They come to gether to\ncreate an edible labyrinth in the shape of an artwork in the th reshold of the\ncity of Amsterdam. They want to create a sense of belongin g to the earth we live\non\, to the food we eat. They investigate collecti ve ways of generating knowledge\nand make it as open source as possible. T hey want to do so in a mutually\nsupportive way—care for our bodies while we care for the land\, bring back\nbiodiversity and seed resources\, gener ate new local networks between artists\,\nfarmers\, permaculturists\, and residents\, while learning by doing.\n\nWebsite Four Siblings [https:] URL:https://offbeat.amsterdam/event/kiln-as-kin-clay-oven-building-workshop GEO:52.3737514;4.8959885 LOCATION:W139 - Warmoesstraat 139\, 1012 JB Amsterdam STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:amsterdam-centrum,community,event,food,live,oude kerk,workshop X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

tandoor, tannour, tandir, tonir—an ancient underground clay oven. Carrying different names, the tonir belongs to a family of ovens that are found across Central and South As ia and the MENA regions. The oven has always been a central gathering poin t. In Armenian cultural tradition it was seen as a symbol of the ‘sun in t he ground’—existing as a sacred space in the home for baking bread, cookin g, and performing rituals. 

During this workshop we will build a tonir-style clay oven together in the ground at Four Siblings, using clay, soil, and sand from their land. Soil is o ne of the most abundant materials on earth, yet it remains one of the most overlooked. It is an extraordinary material to build with: it breathes, h olds thermal inertia, and connects us directly to the land we inhabit. For thousands of years, our ancestors have worked with soil in many ways: gro wing food, shaping ceramics, building ovens and kitchens to cook with fire , and constructing homes. In many modern societies, however, soil is often treated as waste. How did we end up living so disconnected from such an a bundant material?

We will be guided by ceramist, builder, artisan, t eacher, and researcher Tatiana M. Melo. In Tatiana’s practice she transfor ms soil into kilns, seeing them not only as firing tools but as spaces of encounter, transformation, and ritual. For Tatiana, building with earth is also a gesture of remembrance and care: a way of honoring the knowledge o f our ancestors and the land we live on. Gathering around fire becomes a s pace not only for transforming food, but also for reflecting on the narrat ives that shape how we live and where we are going

In this day-long workshop, we will learn how to understand soil and use it for different pu rposes as we learn by doing collectively. We will start with a theoretical explanation about soil, earthen plasters, and wood-fired ovens, followed by the collective building of the tonir-style clay oven. Alongside the lar ger oven, we will also build a small stove.

These kilns will be acti vated on June 13th, during kiln as kin: a day of gathering, firing, cooking, where we will prepare food, cook, and eat together as a way to share knowledge about food systems, forgotten recipe s, and lost rituals.

We will be working outside, so please dress app ropriately for the weather. 

Lunch will be provided. There are only 15 spots available!

Ticket: €30Student and solidarity ticket: € 20

Buy your tickets at via Eventbrite.

Lo cation: Four Siblings, President Allendelaan 1, 1064 GW Amsterdam

Tatiana M. Melo is a transdisciplinary artist from Barcelona, living in the countryside of La Garrotxa. She work s with clay and ceramics—activating the memory of territory through ritual objects made with stones, ashes, and words gathered from the community. H er practice centers on the transformation of soil into kilns, understood n ot only as firing tools, but as spaces of encounter, transformation, and r itual. She explores clay as an ancestral material, applying sustainable pr actices to construction and everyday objects. She has organized workshops and gatherings on collective building, ceramics, and community, collaborat ing with artists and researchers to rethink the relationship between human s, materials, and the environment.

Instagram Tatian a M. Melo

Four Siblings is a land based art and research project. They come together to create an edible labyrinth in the shape of an artwork in the threshold of the city of Amsterdam. They want to create a sense of belonging to the earth we live on, to the food we eat . They investigate collective ways of generating knowledge and make it as open source as possible. They want to do so in a mutually supportive way—c are for our bodies while we care for the land, bring back biodiversity and seed resources, generate new local networks between artists, farmers, per maculturists, and residents, while learning by doing.

Website Four Siblings

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