This latest sculptural form differs from my recent work, as the inside of the form has been coloured with slips oxides and glazes. This follows a conversation with Micaela Schoop, who suggested that I should 'paint' the inside of the forms, like the outside.
In the context of this project, I wanted to reflect the loss of community in Chorlton on Medlock as a result of post war city planning decisions and redevelopment, so wanted to create empty space in the pieces.
Now that my MA is complete, I have returned to this idea. As I moved nearer to the city centre in terms of my inspiration, this area related to my own memories of the city, and my experience was of crowds, energy, and opportunities. I decided to try out this suggestion.
It was technically difficult to put this together. I made it in two seperate halves, very carefully matching the two final joins at each end. I let them dry a little so that there was less pressure on the joins. The slip application which is always a time consuming element, was even more so, as there were four panels to complete, rather than two. I knew that the slip would be affected by joining the final slabs, so adjusted the mark making to accomodate this. The joining had to take place at the right time so that the panels were not too dry.
The movement involved in the joining process put stress on one of the surrounding joints, so I decided to open and rejoin it again to ensure that it was perfectly joined. This proved to be a good decision. I covered the joins with colour succesfully, but had to redo some tiny spots on the panels where I had accidentally scratched the surfaces in the process. Working inside the form was extremely difficult once the sides were all joined.
This was a black over white colour application, so black is the dominant in the final result. If I make a similar piece in the future, I would add more glaze colours and textures. I am happy with the tenmoku lines.
I like the fact that I can see two 'layers ' of city buildings, one behind the other, but I think this is too busy for me. I have happily adopted a more painterly approach, but this piece has moved too far from minimalism for my own personal taste. I could have achieved layers by displaying pieces in groups.
From the earliest days on my MA I have wanted the outside and inside of vessel foms to be different. I dont know why. I am not sure whether this is an idea I should embrace or discard. I need to think about this further.
I'm glad I tried it though, as I am not completely happy with the insides of these vessel forms, with the possible exeption of the ones made from black clay. So I need to look at this aspect again.
Comments