Sunday 01.14.07

Connecting Threads_Trust in Creativity:

In a sense it’s obvious that in terms of the physical world scientists make the more fundamental statements, but artists and philosophers don’t have a less important job. They humanize, they find out what the significance of science is for human beings. At the point at which Einstein said there’s no such thing as matter he didn’t talk about the particles of things, he talked about things being a chain of events. …. I think you have to make images of objects, which are like thinking models to help you get through the world.
Tony Cragg – Sculpture _ Archimedes Screw – s’Hertogenbosch


Daily Experiences Living in Holland:
The sun is out today for the first time in twelve days. I ride the participants’ bike out twice between working sessions. It is my first day working with Bone China Slip. It is a strange clay body. Very lean hydrotropic clay. If I shake the thin scrim cloth I use to support the 1 mm thick slab – the edges soften. I hope to capture the fluid nature of clay. I am exploring the edges of material properties to gain a better understanding of the craft within the boundaries of slabs; both slipped ones and rolled slabs.

The process requires drying and firing to completely understand the boundaries. Ceramics embraces a paradox of time over temperature. Results interlink these two factors as a constant. The photo of a thermometer, apostrophe, and clock taken from the balcony ringing the kiln room, captures the process in a single image.

Technical References:
Used a vacuum pump to make slip slabs the last three days. It makes a good deal of noise so I’d prefer to work with out it. But am experimenting to understand it’s value in making thin slabs. We made a slab of plaster with an imbedded air hose within the slab. This allows us to suck water from the slip, and then send air through the slab to release the slab. One can make 1mm thick slabs. Who know if these are strong enough – but for sure they will be transparent.

I plan to experiment with these extreme thin slabs but sandwiching them over thicker slabs that have perforations or indents. Can we capture the spirit of light within? Or is it just a form of mental torture?

Photos of the studio and town are include for fun. Hard to capture life here, while living and working.