Whether or not we make work in the image of ourselves has no place in our thinking, but rather if we recognize ourselves in our work. There is no line between. There is no maker and piece, no line between potter and pot. To see a distinction between the two is an investment in delusion….
Let’s Play!
My students and I went to The Met Museum on a “field trip,” wandering their galleries in search of exquisitely baked vessels and sherds. Profoundly so, different pieces exercised different gravitational forces on each of us: some were drawn to the humblest of teapots from centuries ago, while others were grabbed by torqued abstractions made…
Impermanence
Today’s sherd travels to Kutch, India, to catch a glimpse traditional methods of pottery making, as it was in 1997. Interestingly enough, the author notes that upon her return to Kutch in 2010, many of these century-old traditions had been abandoned in favor of using plastic wares. A number of times while watching this video,…
Ontogenesis
This week’s sherd is a video from the Jewish Museum in London, focusing on three ceramists at work: Antonia Salmon, Ray Silverman, and Janet Haig. What you’ll see in this 14-minute video are three different approaches to creating ceramic work: press mold with Salmon; wheel throwing with Silverman; and coil/pinch pot making with Haig. In all three…
Relationships
Have I got a treat for you this week from Jingdezhen, China. Today’s sherd looks at what 500 kg can do when people work collaboratively: I watch this anytime 10 pounds of clay pushes me around too much. This is very relational work you are engaged in: how you touch, and how you leave the body of clay ought…