The Surreal and the Uncanny

Feeling a little confused with the direction that I seem to be heading with my work, I decided to return back to the Swale and back to the location where I can recall feelings linked to the Sublime. I’ve been continuing my research through considering application of the encrustation, textures and colours through glaze testing and experimenting further with shapes and size of vessels thrown on the wheel. This has however meant that I have become a bit lost in all the possibilities and my focus seems to have swayed a little.

After speaking to Debra and Nick, I have followed their advice and decompartmentalized the two separate projects that I am working on as I think that the lines were becoming somewhat blurred between my chosen area of study and the Surrey Hills Art project. Both projects have strong similarities with the importance of place and feelings of the sublime as central.

Further landscape study along the Swale

Imposter Objects

Remnants

Hull Blisters

Urban Encrustation

I have become fascinated by the texture and colours found that would usually be discarded or overlooked in an urban environment. Related to the peeling paint studies from the hull of my dad’s boat, these intriguing ‘mini worlds’ and accidental encrusted and textured surfaces jolt the viewer’s perception question our preconceptions of beauty.

I’m keen to develop the encrustations on my vessels further and these photographic studies have given me some food for thought on how I might explore this further. I’ve begun mixing glaze recipes and experimenting with different glaze colours to see if I can somewhat replicate these textures and colours. Some of these more artificial colours might be a little more difficult to replicate so I have considered using coloured clay tint instead and applying the encrustation through very thin slabs of clay.

Black Glazed tile with Lava glaze brushed over the top

Mossy Green Glazed tile

Vulcan Black Clay with lava glaze sponged on

Week 8- Encrustation

Glazes

I’m Interested in how I can further build on the encrusted excretion that consumes the vessel through the use of glazes. I’m really interested in the ceramics artist Adam Silverman who describes himself as a Designer- Artists- Craftsman. His beautiful sculptural vessels are each incredibly unique and fascinating. I’m particularly interested in his use of glazes and experimentation of glaze recipes to create ‘gestural surfaces’ that are gritty and harsh , yet stunning and intriguing. His sculptural vessels are almost coral or volcanic like. There is certainly something alien about them which captures the viewer’s gaze and draws entices them in.

Lava Glaze

My main interest in glaze is texture and so I have mixed up a tester batch of lava glaze to see how this will affect the encrustation on the vessels. I got the recipe from Ceramics Network (https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/ceramic-recipes/mid-range/marilees-lava-glaze/)

I have also been reading Amazing Glazes by Gabriel Kline to build my understanding and knowledge a bit more about glaze chemistry. I find it a bit confusing but with practice and recording of results, I’m hoping to build a better understanding. I therefore only chose 2 recipes from his book to use at the moment, these are Mosey Green and StrontiumCrystal Magic. Considering prime examples of nature’s ability to encrust, mosey green seemed a good place to start. I have chosen to use Strontium Crystal Magic because i’m interested in the quality that this glaze can give when applied to the mosey green and/ or the lava glaze. I believe that it might create a matt and silky texture to the glaze. It will be interesting to see how they come out from the kiln on the test tiles.

Test Tiles-Firing 2500 degrees celsius- Electric Kiln

Week 6

This week, it feels like I have made quite a leap in terms of directions of enquiry and where I hope to start developing my practice from now on. My early test pieces have now come out of the kiln and there are some pleasing results as well as some not so pleasing results. I have also experimented with shape and size, throwing larger vessels which offer a bigger canvas to play with texture, shape and form. After speaking to Nick, it is interesting that there seems to be 2 distinct threads of enquiry. One looking at the means of excretion onto the form and the other drawing on my sketch book to replicate these landscape scene onto painted surfaces. In its simplest essence, liberation of application VS control and precision.

Pot 1: Vulcan Black , thrown pot with reclaimed stoneware clay, application with fingers whilst the wheel rotated at a steady speed. I have glazed the outside of the pot as well as the interior.

Pot 2: Vulcan Black , thrown pot embedded glass found along the Swale whilst mud larking. There is also specks of Swale mud pressed in around the pot. Glazed on the inside.

Pot 3: Vulcan Black , thrown pot with reclaimed Vulcan Black clay applied to one side of the pot and glass embedded. A small amount of white slip was also applied. This pot is glazed on the inside with a small amount of glaze dabbed onto the encrusted exterior. I applied a very small amount of lava glaze to see if this would add anything further

Pot 4: Vulcan Black, thrown pot with Vulcan Black and swale mud applied whilst the wheel was in rotation. Application of white slip using a brush flick was also applied.

Pot 5 : Vulcan Black , thrown pot, left for 30 minutes upside down in the reclaim slops. The exterior was embedded with found glass. Glazed on the inside.

Pot 6: Vulcan Black thrown pot with Vulcan Black reclaimed added with brush stroke

You can see on Vessel 4 and pot 6 the more controlled application on the clay. I’ve decided to leave these pieces as they are as the imprint that has been placed on the pots closely resemble the landscape scenes created in my sketch book and as such has encouraged me gain further inspiration from the artist Kyffin Williams whose use of oil paint applied on the canvas I think best represents the animated landscape in pictorial form. I’m interested in how I can represent this through ceramics, using light and texture to create this illusion.

Kyffin Williams Artist Study

I think the use of the vessel here is more as canvas rather than an integrated addition to the excretion on forms like my other vessels. With these vessels, using application of clay and extraction of clay, I’m trying to recreate some of these evocative scenes, similar to Kyffin Williams, using clay instead of oil to draw out 3 dimensional qualities. In doing so however, do I somehow loose that immediate feeling of horror presented in the pots which become encrusted/ consumed by the excretion onto form?

Porcelain Stoneware Mix

Reversing the materials used- Vulcan black encrusted on porcelain stoneware mix

I decided to change one of the variables to see what the outcome might be. Having used Vulcan Black for throwing for a number of months I thought it was time to shake things up a bit. I had not thrown porcelain before and although this was a porcelain and stoneware mix, I was surprised by it’s unusual texture, smooth to throw but quick to dry, creating a somewhat sticky feel. Taking these vessels off the hump proved to be a bit more tricky because of this. Although the shape of the pots were somewhat similar, varying size of the pots was obvious. I would like to work towards throwing more uniform pots with completely unique encrustations. I need to therefore get better at recording the dimensions of the pots thrown and be more disciplined in ensure that I take time to measure, throwing off the hump however means that this isn’t all that easy to do.

I was pleased with this particular tester pot and I am intrigued as to how this will come out from the kiln, will the shrinkage of the porcelain and stoneware mix warp and how will this affect the encrustation? If you look closely, you can see that I have also embedded glass found on my walks along the Swale, it will be interesting to see how this also reacts during the hire fire glaze stage.

Vulcan Black encrustation on porcelain stoneware pot

Vulcan Black slops with porcelain and stoneware shavings, dabbed with swale mud on a porcelain and stoneware pot

Stoneware and porcelain slip plastered onto a Vulcan Black thrown pot.

Porcelain Stoneware Mix

Experimenting with painted surfaces- Using the vessel as a canvas

Porcelain and Vulcan Black applied using brush stroke and the wheel in motion.

Porcelain and stoneware mix, carved and then Black Vulcan and white slip applied with sponge

Secondary Research

Marek Pitera

Ceramic Review, November 2020. One to Watch. (306), p.61-62)

I came across Marel Pitera in the November/ December Ceramic Review magazine and I was immediately drawn to his pots cracked and harsh surfaces. In particular the following piece interested me. The variety of colours and textures closely resemble the burnt and rotten wood that I had come across along the Swale estuary. .

In this article the artist discusses where his pottery sits in the realm of ceramics. “to me, studio pottery and abstract ceramic sculpture are extremes at the opposite ends of the spectrum, both of which I admire, and my aim was to occupy a point between the two” (p61)

Interestingly Pitera changed from a 9 year career in histopathology to study ceramics and then become a professional ceramicist. where he draws a comparison between “ the appreciation of small details” (p61) “An unintended drip of glaze showing changes in transparency…”(p61)

He goes on to explain that functionality becomes secondary in terms of the purpose of his pieces, “primarily to experience it through it texture and weight” (p62)

His independent and self made success is admirable. Drawing on Japanese and Korean ceramics and his own glaze recipes through experimentation and combining commercial and found ingredients means his pieces are ever evolving and developing.

The Ceramicists

A really interesting article about the duo Stephanie Sommet and Kevin Liu who ahve invented a whole new style and method of clay application and ceramics processing. Through experimentation and accidentally mistakes, the duo have created what is now referred to as ‘foam clay.’ “Usually, our most exciting outcomes are those that have the potential to be a disaster” (Ceramic Review, July 2020. Ceramic Potential (304), p.38)

After experimentation, recording and developing recipes, the duo have managed to find ways to turn fine clay into a foam substance. The use of the foam clay brings a playfulness and delicacy to their pieces- ‘a material metamorphosis’(p40)

Anselm Reyle

Tequila Sunrise

Date Made: 2016

Berlin, Germany

Anselm Reyle was born in Tübingen, Germany in 1970. He currently lives and works in Berlin.

Stylistically similar to the West German Art Pottery of the 1950-1960’s Ryle works in collaboration with the ceramic factories employing traditional techniques. One of these techniques is fat lava which is the thick flowing glaze- a typical feature of work during that time. In terms of historical context this would have been when there still would have been a west and East German. West Germany embracing culture typical of western society. Quite possibly this may be why much of Ryles work questions the concept between high art and kitsch. Perhaps putting a mirror up to consumerism.

In these vessels we see the influence of Japanese aesthetics and culture through the concept of wabi-sabi with the large cracks proudly presented in each of the pots from this collection. In other words the perfect in the imperfection. This links back to the Gohon Tea Bowl with and the use of kintsugi to not only repair but to enhance a ceramic piece. I think it’s this philosophy that intrigues me most and raises questions about the value placed on ceramics – is it art, is it functional, is it both or is it neither?

British Studio Ceramic in the 20th Century

Aneta Regel

https://www.sarahmyerscough.com/artists/50-aneta-regel/

 https://www.artland.com/artists/aneta-regel

 http://www.jasonjacques.com/contemporary/aneta-regel

Aneta Regel’s work neatly captures forms of rock formations and encrusted concrete textures that which she sees as ‘powerful transmutations of the earth’ It is however the process in which she takes to reach these unique forms that take on a whole new function in

Robert Fornell

http://www.thestratfordgallery.co.uk/artists/robert-fornell

 https://www.robertfornellceramics.com/about

https://www.thenevicaproject.com/robert-fornell

Akiyama Yo

 http://www.e-yakimono.net/html/akiyama-yo-pt-2004.html

 http://www.e-yakimono.net/html/jcn-3.html

 http://www.e-yakimono.net/html/akiyama-yo-pt-2004.html

Week 5

Through delving further into the theory of the Sublime, I’ve become increasingly more interested in the painter William Turner and his interest in representing the Landscape Sublime. Moving away from the human focussed theatricality, popular amongst 17th Century painters towards more detailed landscape studies focussed particularly on the sky. This has also sparked an interest in the Welsh painter Kyffin William (1918-2006) whose landscape painting are heavily textured with oil paints on canvas. This has got me thinking about how I can use clay in a more textured way to evoke feelings associated with the sublime. At the same time, experimenting with slip colours to replicate the composition associated with location of the Swale.

Below is an example of a piece of work where application of clay and glaze was central to the vessel. Although I am unhappy with the vessel shapes, there is certainly something expressive and dramatic in the encrustation itself.

It was easier for me to work on larger vessels to experiment so I threw 2 vessels using simple shapes inspired by the sturdy mechanical shapes found on board my dad’s boat in the form of rope pulleys and posts. Although the outcomes are somewhat ugly and not neatly crafted in the conventional way on a throwing wheel, I was surprised by the beauty in the texture of the wet clay and how when thrown on the vessel whilst it’s moving on the wheel the clay slops create greater dynamicity and drama and draw more interest. The human eye tries to figure out what this might represent, maybe rock, froth or mountain peaks.

I also experimented with different coloured slips and ways of application, through using a sponge, brush strokes and brush dabbing as well as splatting the slip straight on. Once fired, and then glazed with transparent slip, I’m hoping that the colours appear more vibrant and a bit closer to the composition of the sublime associated with Turner and Williams.

I also threw 4 further larger vessels and 3 smaller test pots. With the small test posts, I’ve continued to experiment with texture but now also starting to play with carving and removing clay rather than just application.

I’m still not sure quite how to apply/ carve the larger vessels but I’ve been please with the progress so far of the tester pot. I’m interested in the way shadows and shapes created by the depth of carving start to create the illusion of mountain landscapes. I’d be interested to see how I can develop this further and start to use the stimulus gathered from visiting the Swale may influences the textures created.

Moving on from this, I’d like to experiment a bit more with application of different clay and the found objects collected on my trips to the Swale. Next week I ‘m hoping to experiment with applying porcelain/ stoneware clay to see how these textures can change meaning and interpretation.

Primary Research- Textures along the Swale

The Swale in Kent is a muddy estuary where the landscape and geography has seemingly changed little for thousands of years. It feels like a primitive and desolate place. Dotted across the landscape and within the mud lies remains of an industrial ammunition factory with rotten groins and skeletal shipwrecks further personifying this landscape.  These echoes of human destruction and manipulation create an intense feeling of solitude. Robert Smithson who is best known for his sculptures on land art reflects upon his own experience of places that have impacted his work “the best site for ‘earth art’ are sites that have been disrupted by industry, reckless urbanisation or nature’s own devastation”  (Smithson, 1973: 117) In the Swale, the loneliness, somehow becomes emphasised as you sit amongst the scattered rubble which itself, has now gradually been swallowed back up by the earth.

I spent the day walking along the Swale taking photos of various textures and colours, characteristic of the Swale. The rough textures create a harsh and at times eerie landscape. I was particularly interested in the vivid moss that grew on the concrete stones and the black skeletal shipwrecks that were uncovered during low tide.

Above are close up photos of textures specifically from the hull of my dads boat. The boat is currently out of the water which offers a rare opportunity to gain inspiration from a usually hidden and part of the boat.

Using these photos as stimulus, I created a series of landscape studies. Combining the old oil paints, supplied by my dad from painting the boat and the swale mud I experimented with brush stroke and application. Rather than trying to replicate a landscape, these are more conceptual pieces. I applied the paint freely without over thinking where the paint was splashed or applied. I simply considered the feelings and memories evoked from memories of the Swale.

This has encouraged me to think about how I might want to represent hidden aesthetic and thinking about the concept of turning the world upside down so to speak- thinking about the hidden alternative world. Is there a way to present this through my ceramic pots, Perhaps, thinking about how to present this idea of turning the world upside down through installation.

The idea of warping reality combined with child imagination and the theory of the Sublime, fascinates me and is a concept that I would be interested in exploring further. It is this autobiographical reference and narrative, inspired by her childhood experience of nature through regular visits to the Swale that I wish to represent in my work. This foreboding landscape became more fantastical, heightened I believe by the perceptive imagination of the child, trying to make sense of the world in this seemingly hostile place. Shapes along the landscape employed Pareidolia, abstract quality and the human formed bollards and groins seem to anthropomorphize into ‘mythical like’ creatures. 

Scraps of copper and steel found at the Ship Yard along the Swale. I spoke to the metal worker who had seemingly discarded these pieces. He told me that he’s planning on melting these scraps back down to use for later work. Spoke about stopping by later in the year to purchase a few pieces of the scrap metal to see about using in my work.

Landscape Studies of the Swale

Oil Paintings inspired by hidden textures along the Swale

It is not only the painting themselves that have sparked my imagination and encouraged me to play with different textures and glazes in my work but it is also the approach I took to achieve this. Using freehand expression was liberating and produce more organic stokes replicating the unpredictability and power of nature. This is an approach that I am going to experiment with a little further- playing with the application of clay and glaze to the vessel form.

Week 4

Testing

I’ve started to think about how I can replicate some of the colours and textures that I have found evocative from memories of visiting the Swale as a kid. Taking a trip to the Swale recently has given me a bit more confidence in the sorts of textures and colours that I would like to explore further. The primary research, experimenting with the left over paint that was being used to paint my dad’s boat has helped quite a bit. During this trip, I managed to collect a few material samples, primarily Swale clay and the remnants of Charcoal scattered in the mud from old shipwrecks.

https://digitalfire.com/4sight/glossary/glossary_wood_ash_glaze.html

I’ve started the process soaking and drying out the wood pieces. Once these pieces are really dry, I’ll be able to start breaking them down into smaller ash dust. I’ve read that this can be dangerous so will speak to Paul to see what he recommends and how he recommends that I go about this. I’ll experiment with this recipe and add iron accordingly to try to achieve this yellow colour.

Whilst I was in the studio, I also went about mixing glazes that I’m interested in using. For texture I’d like to see if I can replicate some of the rough concrete textures that I’ve seen whilst walking along the Swale. I think this is a volcanic rock, it’s light to hold. I’d be interested in finding out a bit more about this by talking to geologists who are interested in this geographical area.

I've also mixes a Moss green glaze recipe and Strontium Crystal Magic which I’d be interested to see what they do once mixed together. I got these recipes from the book Amazing Glazes by Gabriel Kline.

I’m keen to experience with the material found and incorporate it into my pots somehow. Having already begun incorporating this found material in the throwing process, I was now keen to see how this same material can be used in glazing. I’ve therefore cleaned and dried out the charcoal pieces ready to grind down for putting into glazes. I’m interested in the colour yellow as seen on this moss growing from the burnt wreck

Ignius rock or Clinker?

A few glaze tiles had also come out from the kiln from firing the previous week. This was part of our induction into glazing. We mixed two glaze recipes, a Bronze Gold Recipe and a Black glaze recipe. This is how they turned out. I particularly like the Bronze over Black which is the second example from the left- it’s bronze metallic sheen is very similar to the propeller underneath the bottom of my dad’s boat. This has got me thinking about what if I were to consider the colours/ textures that we’re not meant to see. What if the world was turned upside down and how can I replicate this concept into my pots?

Historical Influences

Anglo-Saxon cemetery, Faversham, Kent, excavated 1860's;

 The Claw Beaker would have been a prized heirloom in Anglo Saxon England. The object presents an insight into the aesthetics typical amongst rich Anglo Saxons or royalty. The beaker’s claw- or trunk-like protrusions were made by applying blobs of hot glass which melted the parts of the wall to which they were attached. The blobs were then blown outward to resemble hollow claws. The glass would have been made using potash as the main alkali flux and it’s believed that some of the glass beakers may have been made using recycled glass.The vessel has been dated broadly to the mid-6th century and it believed to have been made in Germany.

 This particular glass beaker was found in Faversham- which coincidently is where I have been drawing inspiration for my project. Faversham lies along the swale which historically would have been an important place for trade and migration.  I was particularly drawn to this object because of it’s alien like aesthetic.  It has a masculine and somewhat threatening appearance. The fact that this object was only relatively recently uncovered is intriguing and allows for the imagination to wonder- a threatening past bubbling up to the ground.

Gohon Tea Bowl

Date Made :1500-1600

Imported into Japan from

Outstanding example of a Gohon Tea Bowl made in Korea during the Korean Joseon Period. This particular tea bowl would have been made during the late Joseon Period which is identified by the Japanese Invasion of Korea. The maker is unknown however on the box in which the tea cup would have been presented is enscripted name of a fourth generation tea master’ Jikyusai Ichio who was the great grand son of the founder of a school of tea ceremony.

 The bowl presents traces of repairs, skilfully made with lacquer and gold (kintsugi), which gives depth to its nobility quality and helps to accentuate its exquisite features. The choice of kintsugi is steeped in history- not only a way to exquisitely repair a broken pot but is represents a more symbolic interpretation of human resilience- craft pieces as more than just historic artefacts or examples of exceptional skill and design- It represents a higher level of symbolism and value.

William Turner, Margate From the Sea

 This is a watercolour painting by the artist William Turner. He was a romantic landscape painter and water colourist, He’s style it is said laid the foundations for impressionism. This painting, it is believed is an impressionist painting of looking out to the sea in Margate and is celebrated as an excellent example of his ability to encapsulate mood through his impressive use of material to replicate light in his paintings.

George Ohr, 1900 Glazed earthenware

 

George Edgar Ohr in many ways represents the quintessential Arts and Crafts potter in the early 20th Century.  Combining both artistic vision with extraordinary skill and experimentation. Working in the seaside resort town of Biloxi, Mississippi, he dug, processed and prepared the clay.

 Ohr’s personal mantra was “no two alike,” and he was as eccentric as his work was individualistic, with its manipulated forms on thrown vessels, crimping, ruffling, off-centring, and twisting, to create unprecedented forms. To these forms, he applied his own completely new and unusual glazes, applied by sponging, splashing, and spattering, resulting in works that in many ways anticipated the abstract art movements that would find form decades later.

 It is this child like state of exploration of the material that fascinates me most about Ore’s work. He’s ability to reject the manufactured perfection seen in this era of pottery was and still is liberating. Combined with his eccentric personality and way of working, he would draw curiosity and intrigue. It’s perhaps this ability to challenge uniformity and social construct that made his pieces so unique and intriguing.

Livia Gorka

Date Made: 1950-1960

Budapest, Hungary

Livia Gorka (Born 1925-) Took a certificate as master potter in 1947. Her master was her father, Géza Gorka. A free-lancing artist, The source of her art is nature, her typical objects are large asymmetrical vessels, idols, fish, birds, stones. Makes high-fired items of her own clay bodies, often stoneware. She uses oxide-glaze, combines clay with metals frequently.

Whilst living in Hungary I became fascinated by the work of Livia Gorka whose stunning work seems to rebel against this pursuit for perfection. In complete contrast, Gorka seems to adopt an intrinsically tribal quality where each piece is created uniquely with great thought and clear passion. I am fascinated by her use of custom-made materials and oxide glaze combined with her experimentation with colours reflective of an almost plastic pallet common during the commercialisation associated with the 1950. It would also be worth remembering this being an incredibly important historic period for Hungary and I have no doubt that this would have had influence on her work.

Lucie Rie

Date Made: 1950-1960

London

Lucie Rie was a pioneer of modernism in pottery during the 20th century, often called the ‘Godmother of modern ceramics.’ Rie’s works, usually consisting of hand-thrown pots, bottles, and bowl forms, are noteworthy for their Modernist forms and her use of bright colours.  

I love the organic shapes that emerge from her throwing and her experimentation with extenuating certain aspects of a pot, which draw greater curiosity and interest from the viewer. The child-like imagination is permitted to draw comparisons to these shapes, be it from nature or from more abstract ideas linked to Pareidolia- seeing human faces/ qualities in innate objects.

 Waistel Cooper

His pots tend to have a textured surface and he is known for his use of wood ash glazes. Stylistically, he responded to continental modernism with simplicity and directness of approach. He was particularly concerned with the relationship between dark, silky matt glazes and unglazed clay surface such as in this example. His pots seem to have a conceptual relationship with the landscape. He would throw using the Dorset ball clay with up to 40 per cent grog with a high iron content. which either produced small dark nodules in the clay body or broke through the glaze to create spots linking body, glaze and surface.

For me his pots encapsulate the coastal qualities and mood associated with the south coast. The choice of black oxidized glaze combined with the grog replicates an almost volcanic rock texture. Along with the white slip application during throwing there is an energetic and dynamic quality to his pots which seem to resemble powerful waves hitting against the coast.

Magdalene Odundo

Blackened terracotta 2004 Magdalene Odundo was born in Nairobi in 1950. After education in Kenya and India she studied at West Surrey College of Art and Design.

She hand-coils each of her vases, building up her asymmetrical, pot-bellied vase–forms. The pot is unglazed with the colour coming from the clay body and thin layers of slip clay. The smooth surface is achieved by burnishing by hand before and after firing. The pots are sometimes fired many times to achieve the right effect. This is a traditional Ugandan pottery technique called emsubi. 

 I think what drew me to her work, was her choice of simple yet incredibly evocative shapes- almost like human forms. The mouth or the neck of the piece draws you in inwards as if a storyteller beckoning you to listen. It’s clear that her childhood memory of Kenya’s  geographical landscape as well as the cultural influences of growing up there are embodied in her pots.  I’m intrigued also by how her later research as an adult in to processes of pot making in Ugandan pottery had such a huge influence on not just the pots themselves but also on her philosopher of the importance of craft making handed down through generations.

Tony Cragg

Hollow Head 2008 Bronze Sculpture

At first the sculptures may seem distorted but then become more apparent. As if the work is a frozen rivulet of water, delicate and fleeting. Much of his most recent work comprises anthropomorphised monumental works which hint towards representations of the human face.  (http://www.sculpture.org.uk/artwork/point-of-view 05.11.2020)

I think with Craggs work I chose this piece because it seemed to encapsulate much of the interests linked to the work of the other artists that I had chosen. From the anthropomorphic qualities similar to the Saxon claw cup to the Pareidolian and abstract qualities of Lucie Rie to the smooth and delicate feelings of nature that are felt in Magdalene Odundo pots.

Week 3

Control vs Chance

The Vessel

It’s interesting to note the the inspiration for my practice stems from my experience as a child of sailing with my dad on his old wooden boat in the swale. Some may refer to this as a vessel which is intriguing as this is also a commonly used expression for ceramic vases or pots. A vessel by definition can be referred to as a boat or ship or it can be referred to as a container used to hold liquids. Similarly with the thrown vessel as with the vessel on the water part of the aim is to keep as much water out of the hollow interior as possible.

The boat, similar to the wheel is the human way of manipulating elements for pleasure and reward. The boat harnesses the wind to gain speed and the risk lies in the skippers ability to successfully keep the boat afloat on the unpredictable waves created by nature. Similarly the vessel thrown on the wheel is only seemly successfully if the potter is able to harness the momentum of the wheel to manipulate a lump of clay. With both activities, the success comes when the skipper or the potter is able to successfully balance and control these seemingly uncontrollable elements.

Following on from advice offered from Nick and Ashley, I have been encouraged to embrace the freedom of pushing the boundaries of control. Potters spend years mastering the skill of centring, lifting and shaping pots. So with this is mind I explored the possibilities once some of these boundaries have been dismantled.

• Throwing off centre

• Throwing with too much water/ too little water

• Throwing with the wheel rotating in the opposite direction

• Throwing with one hand

• Placing pressure / not enough pressure on certain elements of the pot for e.g squeezing the foot of the pot or poking the neck

• Using fingers/ not using fingers

Artists to Look at:

Shozo Michikawa

I was recommended to look at the work of Shozo Michikawa- I found this article and have highlighted some really interesting points that he’s made in regards to experimentation and bushing boundaries. It’s also really interesting to hear about the influence of the geography of where he grew up as inspiration for his pieces and the importance of volcanoes. His use of incorporating the natural elements local to his area into his pieces such as ash from burnt cedar wood used during the firing process

Ceramic Review, July 2020. In Conversation with Shozo Michikawa (304), p.34-35)

My attempt at Shozo Michikawa pot

George Ore 1900 Glazed Earthenware

Ohr’s personal mantra was “no two alike,” and he was as eccentric as his work was individualistic, with its manipulated forms on thrown vessels, crimping, ruffling, off-centering, and twisting, to create unprecedented forms. To these forms, he applied his own completely new and unusual glazes, applied by sponging, splashing, and spattering, resulting in works that in many ways anticipated the abstract art movements that would find form decades later.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_E._Ohr

 It is this child like state of exploration of the material that fascinates me most about Ore’s work. He’s ability to reject the manufactured perfection seen in this era of pottery was and still is liberating. Combined with his eccentric personality and way of working, he would draw curiosity and intrigue. It’s perhaps this ability to challenge uniformity and social construct that made his pieces so unique and intriguing.

Taking this onboard, I decided to experiment further with he material and embrace this idea of involving chance in my pots. I decided to therefore begin with this exploration by breaking with my initial intention to simply turn off the pots made from my previous session. Instead I decided to play with this idea of chance. How could I break down my desire for control ?

• Placing the leather hard pot upside down in a bucket of clay slop for 30minutes

• Throwing the clay slop onto a rotating pot

• Throwing off centred pots and trying to turn the base into a footstool

• Dropping the pot whilst still a soft leather texture

I also wished to see what might happen during firing if the broken glass/ ceramics found in the mud on my walk along the swale could be incorporated and what the effect might be. Also a way of playing with this idea of past objects/ craft wares emerging from the mud. Natures materials manipulated by man, emerging once again from where they first began.

Below are example of pot throwing, focussing on texture and application. The last 2 images are my first attempts at throwing with no water which I actually really enjoyed and found liberating. It gave me a feeling of freedom to play with the material and to not be too precious about adhering to all the rules put in place when throwing. I’m going to work on throwing without water. The texture once firedI think will resemble some of the burnt wood seen along the Swale from the carcasses of old ship wrecks. See image above

I also had a play on wheel with using too much water and placing too much pressure on certain places on the thrown pot. What would happen if I squeeze the foot or leave my finger for too long at a certain angle? I also added too much water and variation of clays to see what might happen. Aesthetically, I am not happy with the final product but I’m very keen on looking at how to create the illusion of a sinking vessel or a collapsing pot using the wheel and I’ll certainly explore this more.

Tate Modern Trip

Monday 2nd November

Aldo Tambellini Black Matters

Spent the day looking around the exhibitions at the Tate Modern to expand possible concepts/ ideas to explore and gain some inspiration form well known artists.

Thoughts

Influence of colours:

Black is actually the beginning of everything’ Aldo Tambellini

I’m particularly interested in the black Vulcan clay and so was drawn to the artist Aldo Tambellini. Painting black paint onto glass slides and presenting as a series of almost scientific/ astronomical images. Each slide beautiful and unique. Some looked let cells dividing under a microscope whilst others could have been photos of the surface of the moon. It brought into question the importance of black related to our very existence. The black hole for example or the beginning of life/ death. Described as ‘rippling, cosmetic images’ by the Tate Modern gallery. It got me thinking about the significance of using black clay to create my work- perhaps it is not simply because I am replicating the colours inspired by the landscape but it may actually have deeper connotations. Is it because of the morbid and melancholic associations of the colour. Black worn in funerals

Black raven sign of death/ sinister

Black ammunition

Storm

Hamad Abdalla

Defeat 1963

Black hole sucking you in

Black is night

Black is rotten

Does the colour black therefore hold more significance in my pottery than I first thought?

How can I represent some of these ideas in my work?

Monochrome White

After the oppressiveness of black I moved into the lightness of white. A room dedicated to the work of artists who use the monochrome white of a canvas (cloth/ plaster) to engage us in conversation about the use of just white, without image to consider ideas/ spark thoughts. Whilst in the room, there was definitely a sterile feeling. It felt a bit clinical and imposing. Without image the art resists ‘meaning and interpretation’ Tate Modern. Interestingly the Tate noted that ‘for some people, it has come to symbolise everything that is believed to be elitist and difficult about modern and contemporary art.’ (Tate Modern 2020)

‘While the paintings and reliefs in this room all use white, or a range of near-white hues, they demonstrate the many ways in which such an apparently reduced range of possibilities can be employed.’ https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern/display/in-the-studio/painting-white

‘It draws attention to a variety of techniques, materials, textures, surfaces, structures and forms, and emphasises the responsiveness of white to light and shadow.’

https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern/display/in-the-studio/painting-white

The use of white is something that I’ve been experimenting with in terms of glaze applications. I’d agree that the use of white has encouraged me to explore different ways/ consistency of the white glaze. I’ve been interested in it’s play on shadows and it illuminessence in different lighting. Perhaps this is something I might wish to explore further in presenting my work after completion.

The artists in this room also explore the philosophical, poetic, spiritual or religious associations of white, which in some cultures can suggest contemplation, emptiness, the void or infinite space. Considered in this way, rather than lacking meaning, white becomes loaded with significance.

https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern/display/in-the-studio/painting-white

This links nicely with the connotational links to black. A more spiritual focus rather than ending/ death/ existence. Possibly a contrast between the scientific ideas generated from Aldo Tambellini’s work (cells dividing, astronomy, death etc) and those thoughts linked to whiteness being spiritual, enlightened and of course religious. Could this be reflected through my work, an application of the science of geography with the spiritual link to the sublime?

Something else that drew my attention was the Self- Burial (television Interference Project)1969

Self-Burial

The world will eventually swallow you up.

Linking to my earlier posts on the river Swale, the disjointed nature of this ‘self-burial’ resonates strongly with me and my thought’s of being swallowed by the mud as a child. The photograph almost resembles the out of body experience I recall having as the mud would swallow me up. Disjointed and momentary, like watching a cartoon. Interesting to see that the artist remained rigid in the same position with the same facial expression. Like the child unable to visualise the reaction to literally sinking in the mud-only able to focus on the action of how this event could unfold (if it were to)

This has started to get me thinking more about the sublime and memories of the fear of nature/ the landscape.

How can this be incorporated into my work?

Huma Bhabha

I was listening to the radio the other day and heard about the following artist, Huma Bhabha; a Pakistani-American sculptor.

Her artwork definitely has a nightmarish quality about it. The figures / sculptures are grotesque and haunting and encourage the viewer to face dark and taboo ideas.

Not sure how I could incorporate elements of her art into my work but I think the key themes and ideas linked to the realisation of our mortality could be incorporated. I think it’s the idea of turning to dust or the idea of something melting that I wonder might be interesting to explore.

Paul mentioned to me that the Vulcan Black clay will melt after a certain temperature which would be interesting to explore further.

I’ve started thinking about creating work that is more instillation focussed. Similar to the ‘Self Burial’ where a series of pots are made but each one different, showing the gradual change/ decay of the pot sinking into the ground.

I thought this would be interesting to present as the groins moving out into the estuary. I wasn’t sure however how this could be presented- whether the posts would become increasingly disjointed or whether the ground seems to be sucking the pots in- bit by bit.

Week 2

Threw 8 pots off the hump using the 3 finger length by 3 width, Vulcan black pots, attempting to keep the pots uniform in size but with with subtle adjustments. These pots are intended for glaze testing. Each pot had different indentations. By exploring shape, I hope that this will help inform decisions on the shape that my pieces will come to resemble. A little Frustrated that I couldn’t get them more uniform but trying to focus rather on playing with shape and getting back into the rhythm of throwing after a month away from the wheel. With throwing, I find, the emotional state certainly impacts productivity so I’m trying to be really conscious of that- difficult for someone who can be riddled with anxiety. The meditative impact of the wheel is hugely important to my work and choice in pursuing this craft choice.

The shapes created have been inspired by the rope pulleys found onboard the boat. The indentations mirroring where the rope would be positioned to assist with pulling in the sail when manoeuvring/ controlling the boat.

Week 1

Spent the morning with inductions from Paul on use of the studio space and the wheel. Paul has a wealth of knowledge as a professional potter and technician, I think he’s going to be an incredible resource with a wealth of knowledge and tips.

Japanese Artists Paul suggested we look at include:

It was a little disorientating and slightly overwhelming to be in a different studio space, especially with everyone masked up and sanitised but we soon got use to it. I decided to spend the afternoon, creating test tiles for glaze experimenting and firing. Paul had some great examples of glazes that he has experimented with most recently. His choice of firing these glazes in a gas kiln provided some really interesting results. Most memorable of his experimental glaze was ‘dried Nettle’ and his ‘Motorway Scum’ where he had collected the residue from the inside of motorway barriers whilst waiting for the car to be recovered after breaking down. The colour produced from this glaze was wonderful. Variations of colours, reds, browns and even golds seemed to shimmer in different light.

Motorway Scum - Glaze Testtile

Nettle Glaze Recipe

Note to self—glaze examples—Talk to Paul

Physical Geography- Making Sense of It

It seems that landscape and the physical geography of place keep popping up as reoccurring subjects in my thought process which is starting to raise questions about why this may be. Geography as a subject and the immense nature of physical geography has always fascinated me. It brings back memories of geography trips to see Old Harry’s Rock or being blow away with the idea of erosion and the power of the elements to change change landscape. These memories also evoke feelings of powerlessness and an almost overwhelming feeling of fear of what the land could do. These words come to mind:

• Suffocation

• Drowning

• Falling

• Whirlwind

These worlds bring back memories as a child or reading Alice in Wonderland or Winnie the Pooh

or films such as Wizard of Oz or Dot and the Kangaroo where the protagonist child has an out of world experience in which nature is the force that leads to this.

This has got me thinking about my own childhood memories and memories linked to place, these include

• Getting lost in sand dunes off the beach of poppit in West Wales

• Sinking mud in the Swale/ getting into a dingy boat to row out to my dad’a wooden boat

• Mountains- Frenni Fach- Westwales

In these vivid memories, I tried to make sense of the unique landscape. Imagination melted into fantasy, where the dunes seemed far more imposing and threatening. The thought that these dunes were purposefully trying to disorientate, appearing out of no-where to prevent me from getting to the safety of my grandma or the mud from the swale was going to swallow me up and my father would be hopeless to help or the moss on the mountains were in fact the minute forests of small elf like creatures who were being destroyed by my monstrous footprint.

Feelings of:

Guilt

Fear

Loneliness

The Swale

The Swale- Old Anglo Saxon Word meaning “swirling, rushing river”

https://www.ecosia.org/images?q=swale+mud#id=AF01DAF5EDA3C6DCBAFC1142D64DB724B9CBA7E7

Most vivid are my trips to the Swale in Kent- a muddy estuary where the landscape and geography has changed little for thousands of year. It feels like a primitive and desolate place. My father moored an old wooden boat here and has done for the past 40 years-a place both familiar yet eerily unfamiliar to me. Trips in the boat would be both exhilarating-feeling out of control as the boat would jolt and lean, feeling at anytime that the water would drag you in. Combined with this trips on the boat would be equally filled with monotony and boredom - time would slow down and learning as a child, ‘to just be’ was at times excruciating.

Translucent orange buoys would mark out mud banks and obstructions as well as as marker points, measuring distance until arrival. I recall this being misleading and disorientating, the buoy seemingly moving further away than closer, heightening my feels of anxiety and confusion. Running a ground was a common scenario- waiting sometimes hours for the tide to turn and move us back on our way. Sometimes the boat would end up leaning precariously on the mudbank which brought humour to a seemingly hopeless situation- Sat at an angle with the translucent orange life jackets, the same colour as the buoys suffocatingly wedged up to our chins.

Regardless of the time of year, the swale seems to always have a cloak of grey sky and chilly wind. Its Dickensian landscape has been added to over the years, with shipwrecks and now derelict forts scattered around.

Swirling, Rushing River

The Cormorant

http://birdsnap.blogspot.com/2009_12_01_archive.html

“A large and conspicuous waterbird, the cormorant has an almost primitive appearance with its long neck making it appear reptilian. It is often seen standing with its wings held out to dry. Regarded by some as black, sinister and greedy, cormorants are supreme fishers which can bring them into conflict with anglers and they have been persecuted in the past.”

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/shag/

The Swale Mud

The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England, neighbouring the Thames Estuary, centred 42 miles (68 km) from central London. It has an area of 36 square miles (93 km²). The island forms part of the local government district of Swale. Sheppey is derived from Old English Sceapig, meaning "Sheep Island".

Today's island was historically known as the "Isles of Sheppey" which were Sheppey itself, the Isle of Harty to the south east and the Isle of Elmley to the south west. Over time the channels between the islands have silted up to make one continuous island. Sheppey, like much of north Kent, is largely formed from London Clay and is a plentiful source of fossils. The Mount near Minster rises to 250 feet (76 metres) above sea level and is the highest point on the island. The rest of Sheppey is low-lying and the southern part of the island is marshy land criss-crossed by inlets and drains, largely used for grazing.
https://www.mindat.org/loc-235875.html

https://www.mindat.org/loc-235875.html

The swale mud in particular evokes strong childhood memories- the exaggerated imagination of a child remembers bubbling grey mud enticing you in and drawing comparisons between the sinking mud from films, books and oral stories. Before boarding the dingy to row out to the boat I remember navigating the terrain, choosing to not listen to my father, instructing me not to walk on the mud. A red wellington getting stuck as my dad pulled me out. This experience only further confirmed my thoughts that the land can quite literally swallow you up.

Ghostly Shapes peppered throughout the Swale

SS Richard Montgomery

• American Cargo Ship WW2

• Still contain 1,400 tonnes of explosives 

• Ground and split in 2 in 1944

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-14809752

https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/180565

Red Sands Maunsell Towers

“Exuding eerie…ominous presence.”

The tower in the foreground would have been a gun tower, with a gun placed on the flat section that protrudes from the front. Other towers would have different functions such as search lights and accommodation. Hundreds of soldiers would live on these towers in six week placements which were very unpopular due to the remoteness of the placement.

https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/180565

Drowning

Sinking

Consuming

Disappearing

Fading

Passing away

Dying

How can these ideas be represented through the clay form?

Started thinking about how these actions can be presented in the the clay or how the freshly thrown pot could be distorted by being exposed to the elements or element forces.

Workshop Day 2

Note to self- Glazing

Focussing back on the Swale, I thought about shapes and colours that impacted my memory of this place as a possible area of exploration. I thought about the artificial shade of colours like life jackets against a greyish sky and how I may be able to transfer some of these ideas into my pots. I think the idea of incorporating these colours into my work, stems from memories as a child in the Swale, where everything natural seemed so ‘all consuming’ and vast - the life jacket and the bouy markers weirdly brought some grounding and comfort perhaps due to the very nature of their existence- to save lifes/ to warn. As a child, I think there was some sort of safety in these artificial, block colours that dotted the landscape- plastic toys (bouys) and play pretend (life jacket) needless to say neither of these objects should be mistaken for either.

Orange

Green

Yellow

Vases inspired by shapes dotted throughout the Swale. These vases were thrown on the wheel and measure 30cm Height and 10cm wide. Thrown in Vulcan Black and 10% grog with Oil slick Black and Brilliant White Glaze. I wished to maintain the movement of the Swale waves through application of the glaze. I like how the glaze is heavy on the application and 3D to capture the movement- something I’m keen to continue exploring- creating a moment in time almost.

Vulcan black has been chosen because of the pallet that pertains the Swale: black cormorants, leaden skies and oil.

The angular shapes and distorted proportions are intended to play on this idea of the pareidolia - shapes looking almost human- but not quite. I’d like to start exploring a bit more with glaze application and see the affect of throwing shapes with a different clay base.

Mud Larking along the Swale- July

Before starting at the Ceramic MA, I walked along the Swale, taking photos of textures, shapes and colours of the Swale during the summer months. I plan to do the same in the Autumn, Winter and Spring, specifically considering how the mud and landscape changes accordingly. I have considered creating a series of ceramic pieces representing the change in the geographical landscape throughout the year. Scrolling through the images taken, the following words emerge:

• Peeling

• Cracking

• Brittle

• Skeletal

• Dry

The colour pallet includes:

• Dull greens

• Vivid blues

• Grey

• Metallic

• Black

• Rock

• Orange

I’m particularly interested in the peeling and cracking textures that appear in these summer months. The effect of peeling paint is particularly interesting and an effect that I would like to try to replicate in my work.

Word Play

Task: Select 6 words from a list as a starting point to test ideas through process and material.

Word 1: Pour

5 minutes Continuous Writing:

‘To pour‘ connotes meanings usually associated with the physical act of tipping liquid from a jug, cup or container. Indulgence and surplus come to mind along with greed and excess. ‘To have too much,’ one needs to pour it away or pour it back. The satisfaction and excitement one gets from watching the excess of a liquid drip dangerously out of the context in which it should be placed. We think of liquid such as gravy, paint or glaze- Thick, ooziness and sensuous. In nature the verb ‘to pour’, is not so commonly used to describe its movements. Instead we look towards more poetic language to describe the movement of liquid from one holding to another. ‘To pour with rain’ is the most common use of the verb in nature. Perhaps because of the nature of this type of rain to satisfy and excite. In nature, the act of pouring, branches into a number of alternative synonyms depending on the type of ‘pour ‘ happening.:

Pour- Verb

A continuous, flowing movement - Shadows pouring defiantly down the mountain.

• Trickle

• Gush

• Stream

• Cascade

  We think of words associated with relaxation, calmness- the gentle trickle of a stream or the cascading waterfall.

Note to self:

Image 1: Photos in style of ‘pour’

Image 2: Manipulate image - Spider diagram

Image 3: Sketches and photos from researched art work with ‘Pour’

Word 2: Connect

Refinement

Satisfaction when something connects. When the pieces in a jigsaw fit together or the cogs in a piece of heavy machinery twist and turn delicately to create movement. Artefacts made From the complexities of the ‘machine created’ work, seamlessly made without fault caused by the clumsy hand of a human . Connect can be used in the abstract meaning ‘to connect’ with someone or ‘connect’ to the internet. It’s probably one of the greatest feats of human beings- our ability to connect.

Verbs:

To join

To establish

To accompany

Synonyms:

“Praesent id libero id metus varius consectetur ac eget diam. Nulla felis nunc, consequat laoreet lacus id.”

— Pablo

• Attached

• Conjoin

• Unite

• Fasten

• Marry

• Bridge

Connect - Relationship between people and places

Connection to one another

Connection to different countries/ cultures

Connection to nature

Connection through religion and beliefs

Cargo ships connecting trade links between different countries on the Kiel Canal

Kiel Canal, German—- North Sea–Baltic Sea Canal, waterway in northern Germany, extending eastward for 61 miles from Brunsbüttelkoog (on the North Sea, at the mouth of the Elbe River) to Holtenau (at Kiel Harbour on the Baltic Sea).

Connection linked with Trade- UK’s relationship/ connection throughout history

• North Sea

• English Channel

• Thames Estuary

Image 2: Photos and sketches of art work associated with ‘connect’

Re-purpose

Gwaun Valley: Nature’s way of re-purposing human footprint

To re-cycle or up-cycle or re-use again for a different reason. Usually associated with re-using man-mad objects in a different way. A boat becomes a flowerbed, glass or plastic melted down to re-create something new. The satisfaction of re-purposing is far greater and more long-lasting than the satisfaction of the consumer lifestyle. Yet, as human beings our innate desire for ease and immediate satisfaction blinkers us.

What if nature does the re-purposing? Buried in the Gwaun Valley in West Wales sits an abandoned stone settlement. It’s now slowly being consumed by a blanket of dense green moss. A conversation between human kind and nature over the years- echoes from the past.



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