I have stopped learning new things, and started to make for the show. I am making abstract open forms, based on the streets and buildings that I have researched. The forms include planes, angles and lines from the architecture or architectural features of the buildings. I have distorted the height and the perspective lines to reflect my own experience as a child, and how essentially I perceived the huge, crowded buildings of the city centre.
In this piece I have tried to separate the old and new buildings on the two sides of the form. In particular the I have made reference to All Saints church, destroyed during the Manchester blitz, (and previously depicted in my three church fragment pieces). The archive images of this church show the devastation of the bombing, and the leaning beams and masonry. I took a lot of images in All Saints churchyard, which still exists as a park. Shards of stone and broken blocks are a reminder of its history. On one side of this form I have tilted the slabs forwards and backwards, in contrast to the other buildings on the opposite side of that square, that are densely packed and well kept.
In terms of making. The form does not have a base, and the tilted side began to pull on the tall end piece. A hairline crack developed. I have repaired it but am afraid it will not survive the bisque firing intact. I have decided not to add slips at present, so as not to weaken any more joints. I will use engobes and/or glazes instead. Similarly I do not want to water etch and of the edges or panels, so will leave them with sharp edges. I will dry this slowly, and then fingers crossed for the bisque firing
UPDATE
This was a very difficult piece to glaze, Cath Criscenti came up with a plan to pour the glaze, and it worked a treat. It was difficult to pour down some of the panels, and it was difficult to manoeuvre the pouring jug in such a tight place. Unfortunately the crack was visible on the end slab, but overall it worked very well.
Comments