Inspired by Simcha Even-Chen's work,
an Israeli ceramicist, I made a piece to further explore my theme of space .
I'll get it fired tomorrow, it doesn't look great but it was a worthwhile exercise because I now know some of the limits of clay and how I would want a final piece to look.
I want it to be very gestural, to convey a certain type of clapping. The kind when a person holds their palm open and flat and claps by slapping with the back of their other hand.
We had an introduction to ceramics with Keiran today. We began with simple mark-making using ink and a bambo pen. Working with clay is very relaxing, if you're not trying too hard to force the clay to do something it doesn't want to.
I took the opportunity to make a piece for my assignment.
The pieces will be ready for monday, fired and glazed.
I made up a batch of salt dough to investigate the Ma space of a hand clap. The idea for exploring this particular space came from an interview between Roger Ebert, the film critic and
Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki.
I told Miyazaki I love the "gratuitous motion" in his films; instead of every movement being dictated by the story, sometimes people will just sit for a moment, or they will sigh, or look in a running stream, or do something extra, not to advance the story but only to give the sense of time and place and who they are.
"We have a word for that in Japanese," he said. "It's called ma.Emptiness. It's there intentionally."
Is that like the "pillow words" that separate phrases in Japanese poetry?
"I don't think it's like the pillow word." He clapped his hands three or four times. "The time in between my clapping is ma. If you just have non-stop action with no breathing space at all, it's just busyness, But if you take a moment, then the tension building in the film can grow into a wider dimension. If you just have constant tension at 80 degrees all the time you just get numb."
Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki.
I told Miyazaki I love the "gratuitous motion" in his films; instead of every movement being dictated by the story, sometimes people will just sit for a moment, or they will sigh, or look in a running stream, or do something extra, not to advance the story but only to give the sense of time and place and who they are.
"We have a word for that in Japanese," he said. "It's called ma.Emptiness. It's there intentionally."
Is that like the "pillow words" that separate phrases in Japanese poetry?
"I don't think it's like the pillow word." He clapped his hands three or four times. "The time in between my clapping is ma. If you just have non-stop action with no breathing space at all, it's just busyness, But if you take a moment, then the tension building in the film can grow into a wider dimension. If you just have constant tension at 80 degrees all the time you just get numb."
This shape (above) is made when the hands are clapped so that they meet in symmetry.
This shape is made when hands are clapped to produce a louder sound.
My first attempt playing around with wire. I think I did a pretty okay job of it. Because it's a new material for me I didn't want to get to ambitious so I just drew with it, in 2D style. Using the sketch I did (a few blogs ago,) I just followed the outline and pinched as I went. I like the look of it, it reminds me of Egon Schiele's style.
And Egon Schiele......
What I hope to do now is try a 3D version of a hand clap.
Today I worked on my idea to capture the space of a hand clapping. Kieran showed me how to make up a batch of plaster.
Dry plaster was added to water, mixed by hand and then sieved. We made a funnel out of a plastic bottle and filled a balloon. Then, "the hard part" I sat holding my hands in the shape of a clap and waited patiently for it to solidify.
It turned out well except for the air bubble. I'll definitely try this again on a bigger scale.
Ceramicist Derek Wilson creates both functional and non-functional pieces. I believe he is very aware of the empty spaces around his sculptures and that they are in fact part of the work.
"My ideas spring from a complex blending of the abstract to the familiar, evident in both the functional ware and sculpture that I make. My objects, in their colour, shape and materiality, reference the ideas of restraint, containment and minimalism. My search for a simplicity of form draws inspiration upon a diverse range of sources from mid-century British Constructivism to the history of the ceramic industry in Europe and Asia. I work in celadon glazed porcelain and stoneware and my objects, whether they are made to be used or not, tend to be placed in groupings – evoking communality and sociability. My aim is to push the boundaries of a traditional and diverse artform through playing with its aesthetics, materiality and processes. Fundamentally, my work is essentially made to be used in everyday life."
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