A View To A Kiln

"Untitled"

"Untitled"

"Untitled"

"Untitled"

Design
The form of my piece is most important when considering its design. My platter has a raised S-shape, with one end of the S rising to a higher point than the other. This asymmetry, combined with an increased curvature of the raised side gives the piece a dynamic, nearly motile quality.

Concept
The concept behind my work was to explore the relationships of two different pairs of ideas. The form of the piece deals with the first relationship: that of the organic to the inorganic. The flowing shape of the piece draws to mind both the physical contours of the human body and, the cyclic process that sustains almost all living things, breathing. The texture, on the other hand, serves as a harsh and uncomfortable contrast to the idea of life that the form carries. Jagged outcroppings cover the piece, reminiscent of geological formations, attempting to dispel any connotations of the living that the form may summon.
While the glazing technique furthers this idea of the relationship of organic to inorganic (by causing the raised ridges to appear vein-like when underglaze is wiped off of them), it mainly deals with the second relationship the piece explores, the relationship between perception and actuality. The orange-brown of the underglaze was meant to emulate the color that I associate with the Earth, while the bare, white, non-underglazed clay simply remains the color that its components give it, highlighting the difference between a concept's (in this case, a material of the Earth's) instantiation in one's mind and its instantiation in reality.

Execution
In order to get the shape I wanted, I created an armature out of newspaper. I then draped a large slab over the S-shaped newspaper support and blended together those pieces that I felt needed to be connected. Once the slab was leather hard, I took very fine slip and daubed it over the surface of the piece, using a variety of sponges to achieve slight variations in the texture.

Influences
One thought, the Idea of a something being inseparable from its context and connotations, influenced me heavily while working on this platter. While going for a walk earlier this year, I found that, no matter how hard I try, I couldn't look at a word without reading it. The letters on street signs and awnings were so steeped in mental and emotional coloration that I had no choice but to impose a greater meaning on them. I couldn't stop the letters from coalescing into words each bearing a multitude of significances. I believe a similar, yet less explicit idea is true of almost all visual stimuli. Although the visual elements of works of art may not bring to mind a certain, specific meaning, as the letters of a word do, they carry imports and references of their own. In response, I tried to break free of these connotations by juxtaposing conflicting elements (the organic & inorganic) close together in my piece.