Material interaction with charcoal - encounter by Ario Prasetiya (he/him)

First encounter

s8192669 — 2025-07-30 22:20:11 UTC

Charcoal is a material that when you look at first glance it doesn't seem to have much going on. The key to understand this material is to interact with it

Nothing much?

s8192669 — 2025-07-31 00:14:03 UTC

When you tried to touch, hold and feel charcoal, it gives an impression of how hard and stiff the material is. Its coarse texture and at a glance it looks all the same like each other

References

s8192669 — 2025-07-31 00:25:36 UTC

References

Pacini-Ketchabaw, V., Kind, S., & Kocher, L. L. M. (2016). Encounters with materials in early childhood education (pp. 12–30, 42–52). Routledge. Thinking with Materials, Charcoal: Encounter.

Hard yet soft

s8192669 — 2025-07-31 00:38:49 UTC

And yet there's another aspect of charcoal, which is the soft part of it. Charcoal can crumbles easily when you put pressure to it. Becomes a powder and transform into tiny particles when certain amount of pressure is given to it. And these particles are the charcoal's true personality and where its versatilty coming from.

History from the burnt marks

s8192669 — 2025-07-31 00:47:41 UTC

At a glance all charcoal looks the same, but if you look closer it shows a history of the past, the before it becomes a charcoal, when its still in a wood form. The burnt marks tranfsormation of what it was into a charcoal. The other things that I noticed too is that every charcoal smells different and gives a different feeling to the touch

Traces of history through the imprints

s8192669 — 2025-07-31 12:18:18 UTC

Coal interacts with everything it touches. It will leave imprints on anything it touches and gives a lasting mark to anything it touches. Pacini-Ketchabaw et al. mentioned that rather than we're touching coal is the coal that touches us (2016, pp. 42–52). Whenever a coal touches something it leaves an imprint or history to it in this case is paper

Charcoal encounters on skin

s8192669 — 2025-07-31 12:24:00 UTC

As mentioned before, interaction with charcoal is an encounter. But rather than we touches the coal is the charcoal that leaves mark on us. This one you touch and rub in on the skin and leaves marks and imprints on it

Charcoal interacts with water

s8192669 — 2025-07-31 12:50:51 UTC

interesting part about charcoal is it blends with water and becomes blended with it. the water becomes affected with it. Pacini-Ketchabaw et al. also mentioned that to be touched by coal is to be affected by it (2016, pp. 42–52). The water was certainly affected by the charcoal's powder, creating a blend of it

Versatility with other elements

s8192669 — 2025-07-31 13:11:37 UTC

Charcoal by itself might not look interesting and yet after an encounter with it, and exploring more about it, you can find a surprising amount of versatility with it. Combined with water and paper, it leaves an imprint and marks that is lasting, showing a history of charcoal marks around the paper medium