I had a tutorial with Rob today, and had difficulty explaining what I was planning, so here is my second attempt to explain.
I have chosen to make work with a sense of place, for me that is an urban environment. At a distance a city appears cold and impersonal. A look at its architecture reveals its story, past and present. But close up its streets are teeming with people passing through, rich with memories and stories. I plan to make a series of sculptural vessel forms to reflect each of these aspects of the city. At present I am not sure how to get these aspects to gel together in one piece, but I will start with physical form.
Practice 3 Project overview
Aspect 1.
From a distance the urban environment can appear as featureless, geometric, hard-edged, impersonal, colourless, and cold. The buildings are densely packed together, most are several stories high , they loom over the people passing by. The area of the city I have chosen forms part of the urban skyline. I have started to make my view of the city from this perspective using simple geometric forms.
Image Tomasz Kozak (https://kozakphoto.com/another-8-manchester-skyline-photo-locations/)
Aspect 2
After further research it can be seen that the buildings and streets say something about the city. I have chosen buildings that are historically, culturally or architecturally important. I have researched these buildings, their original purposes, and subsequent uses, the architects who built them and the people who used them: collectively the buildings tell the story of the city over time.
I will represent current or former buildings, by abstracting elements of the buildings' architecture or history and modifying the geometric forms to capture these elements . I plan to make a second series of pieces to reflect this aspect of buildings over time, informed by my research on weathering. I will create, and erode, texture and colour that evokes the passage of time using techniques developed during practice 2 and the early part of this academic year. This abstraction might influence the texture in addition to the form.
Aspect 3
Finally, I want to include some reference to the fact that the city streets are, and always have been, filled with people. In order to do this, I want to create spaces between and within the forms.
I have searched the archives and can identify people who lived in the city, worked in these buildings and would have walked along these streets. I also have a personal and family connection to many of these places. Whilst I can no longer talk to previous generations of my own family, I can make a connection by walking in their footsteps around the city, and visiting the buildings that they visited. So, I would like to incorporate pathways and streets between and around my forms, and lines to represent journeys.
I want these lines to reflect the generations of people who have occupied the city in the past, whether or not they are connected to me. For example due to urban regeneration in Chorlton on Medlock some areas that were once densely packed with residential streets or churches are now administrative buildings. In the past footfall would be high here, but now it would be higher around the university buildings where students congregate. Maybe I can do this by using several lines, maybe paler tones of the same colour for the past, to imply that the traces of former generations is fading from view, as pathways and buildings change in the city. I want again to convey this in an abstract manner.
Work in progress and my immediate plan
Aspect 1
The pieces I have made so far are inspired by maps and aerial and distant photos. My basic shapes are getting there. I am going to consider varying the tops or the height, and I still have questions about the spaces between and around the forms. I am working with celadon, and celadon like, colours that reflect how the city appears from a distance, (geometric and crowded and almost blending into the sky). These pieces will be quite minimalistic, I have tried some texture already, based on street maps, but might try something that is simpler. I made a carved test piece based on a brutalist building surface designed by William Mitchell, but the texture is too dominant. I have sketched a simple version of this, that will add some vertical and horizontal lines, that is more like the work of Bodil Manz, (see below). I am not sure how to add lines, Manz uses underglaze transfers. I have underglazes, but will also going to try slip inlays, as I used them successfully in one of my earlier projects at Uclan.
Aspect 2
In the next couple of weeks I will continue to work on more detailed texture, as per the Practice 2 module. I have made three bisque fired pots including firstly a carved panel, secondly added lines on top of the surface, and thirdly water etching, so will see how they look after glaze firing. I like a minimalist aesthetic, and do not want the additional texture to detract from the form and colour, so want this to be subtle.
This will shift my focus back to colour I am considering a richer darker palette, more oxide washes to reflect weathering, and possibly darker Victorian colours like stone, green and maroon. I have quite a lot of glaze and oxide tests, both completed and in development, as possibilities here.
Aspect 3
I have not started to work on the deeper third level yet, but intend to make this layer relate to the presence of the people of the city; their pathways, choices and differences. I intend to do this using space and colour and the ability to move and reform the series of vessels. In terms of colour I would like a free application of colour to reflect the movement and flow of people streaming through the streets. I am inspired by Nadir Afonso, Lauren Mabry, Barry Stedman and Lisa Orr and Kirsty McCrae in terms of application, but not necessarily in terms of the colours themselves. I think that as long as the shapes and textures are simple, some coloured slips, oxides or glazes could work well. In either case I will try one vessel with a vibrant colour palette to see the effect.
Outstanding Question
At the moment my plan is to work on these three separate aspects, in terms of form, texture and colour. However I am not sure how they will be combined. I think I can only work that out as I go, as I need to see the pieces to answer this.
That is the best way I can explain what I am planning at the moment. Of course I need to get on with it, and I know that my plans will change and develop as I see the results from the kiln.
Some specific points from my tutorial
Artist research
I have considered the two artists suggested, Mark Smith and Cheryl Voller
Slab-building
My current project lends itself to slab building, and you said last week that my slab building skills are progressing satisfactorily, so I plan to stick with this.
I still don't feel like a natural slab builder, so, my sketchbook helps me get from a 3D idea in my head, to a final piece of work. I would like to be able to make like John Gill below, but I can't do that at the moment, I need some sort of plan. I also like simple geometry and minimalism so that requires a degree of accuracy.
However I appreciate that you want me to loosen up and be more free. I guess you think that templates affect my making skills, or hamper my designs. l will be more confident with slabs going forward, and experiment with some free forms.
Images of slab-building maestro John Gill.
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