teaching Bart

We sat down at 8:40 and www.blogspot.com is in Dutch - Had to go to my computer.

Three Weeks Sprint to Final Presentation

As I return to Holland from a much-needed rest in Italy – another side story – I can sense the need to bring closure to all the mini decisions we’ve made over the past 12 weeks.

I understand in principal each facet, and now continue the perspiration to bring to completion a polished piece.

Submitted the Announcement today to the PR arm of EKWC so they can post it to their mailing list. Here ie the text.

“Ties That Bind Us” is an installation featuring the Hand, Mind and Heart of the makers. In an age of increased social isolation, globalization and explosion of digital technologies this installation transcends the perfection of machine made ubiquitous products.

The translucent interior divider has a metaphysical presence and
highlights the unique physical characteristics of ceramics not obtainable using other materials: fluidity, translucency and tactile surfaces.

A cable system hangs thirty-six bone china panels, 35mm x 60mm, creating an interior divider of two parallel architectural skins. A structured “Outside Skin” where finger rhythms hammered the surface and subtle vertical hole patterns become a plane to capture, transmit and telegraph lighting conditions. And the offset parallel plane of “Inside Skin” drapes as if shifting winds are rippling the
fabric that binds humans; no matter the cultural bias.

A collaborative project by Carol Koffel, visual artist, and Sarah
Willmer, architect, during a combined residency at EKWC,
s'Hertogenbosh, Holland.

Completed in 2007

We do not have contacts here in Holland – so we can rely on their world to learn more the next steps.

Off to Philips Lighting Center tomorrow to learn more about potential method for lighting the installation - then meeting on Monday with Simone Maase – that teaches at Eindhoven University, works in clay as well as lighting.

Sharpened a metal punch today to solve the issue with how best to drill accurate holes in the metal pieces, etc.

Up late waiting to close the damper on the Kiln # 7 – and electric kiln – that has a special catalytic system so one can burn out any material. Me – I just selected it since it is the smallest one. I am running experiments for how best to fire the bone china breast molds – to retain the form. I’ve made boxes as shrink slabs (may not work as these are not from the same clay body) and to hold material to block the bone china from collapsing.

One experiment is to use Alumina Oxide - which will not stick to the back of the breast mold – the other is sand. Will take photos as I unstuck on Thursday night or Friday morning.

Stack Kiln #1 again to test another alternative method of making the outside panels. The top loop collapsed without support – and the insertion of a tube is not too clean. This time I’ve inserted a small slab before turning down the loop. I think it is the best solution – but before going forward, I want to fire three to see the result.

More later, it is now past midnight and Kiln # 7 should be at 500 degrees C; time to close the damper.

Hard to capture the wind, constant shifting of the sunlight and the sense of discovery when one rides out into the countryside, no map, or plan. Maybe these reveal some of my experiences, alone pacing myself for the nine-week residency. Past the halfway point now. The Church Bell struck 10 PM. The June night where I captured the fading sun – is now around 10 – 15 minutes earlier. Thank goodness I do not wake each day at 4:30 or so any more with the dawn birds. There are no longer dusk birds singing.

I will return tomorrow with the jig I’ve concocted of wood to seek Aries’ ideas on how to make it more accurate. The holes I am drilling do not always hit in the center of the cold rolled steel rods, since Arie has a studio in the garden for working steel. He built a small studio space for Corry, with quaint steel doors.

Dedication to Liefde

Riding in the “Brook” where in ancient times the town’s people could flood the wetlands for self-defense, I took a self-portrait while riding. I thank Dallas both for teaching me that is possible, but also for the wonderful transition in my expression, as the second photo is dedicated to his presence in my life.

Found out that Lief - meaning willing in middle English - is also a Dutch word meaning sweet. It can become a verb by adding De making the meaning love. There are poems screened on the second story walls of many buildings in Den Bosch. Near the catherdral, there is one about love, that I should photograph. I've always wanted to screen print words on my walls.

Next supplement to production work, will use the screens I've brought along from SF.

A women in the last house, came outside asked of my purpose. I told her the front entry was beautiful. and I was from San Francisco. Then I continued to explore. There was a sign across the small alley that caught my eye. It announced this was the site of a pottery in the mid 1780’s. The women emerged from her home to say; you cannot read that plaque.

Turns out she works in clay and is does stone sculpture. Her husband, grown son and I shared coffee and stories of life.

Country Visit

After morning papers, miss the quotes from the Artist’s Way – but find writing / drawing in my journal good breakfast companionship. My cloistered life is settling into a rhythm juxtaposing production, artist exploration and venturing into the local countryside, working a bit after dinner; welcoming the evening light. Studio 9 is illuminated by an emergency exit sign and my computer screen.

I rode father today and arrive across a canal into a small neighborhood. As I was taking a photo of several houses – a brass doorknocker, modern Dutch version of lace curtains, and a sweet garden entry.

Past the Halfway Point

Woke this morning and realize my deep exhaustion despite nine hours of a good sleep. Discovered I need to pace production studio work. Completed the 100 Kilo’s of Bone China mixed in January today as I completed the last inside {if the firing of these goes well} production panel. Also discovered an “extra” section cut off from each slab, is perfect slab for a series using my plaster breast cast. Alternating production work with series of art concepts. Allows my mind to flow.

I retired the lace found in April at Shelly's wedding tonight. The photo taken shows the oil staining and clay penetrating all the pores of the fiber. The composition is remarkably like the most recent breast draping. Sensual and Suggestive.

Way past midnight - still connected via technology, people and places.

Wonderful summer day. Sarah leaves for SF Wednesday. Giving us two days. Plan to make three kiln loads; finishing the inside panels, start the outside panels and mock up the cable and mounting system.

A trip to the hardware store is an adventure. One takes a number upon entering the store, and can explore the displays. Then an individual waits on each of us, helping to source and fetch any product one wants to purchase. After we purchased set screws, tap, drill and cables, there was a larger than normal group of shoppers waiting for the staff.

July 1st – Beginning of 4th week

Started “production” of the inside panels yesterday. We realize that each panel will be unique. Still struggling with the moisture content of the clay as well as the shrinkage. The panels seem to expand outward at the bottoms as they dry. Creeping outward – despite checking them against the template several times.

We drap the clay over a steel pipe wrapped with insulation foam from plumbing pipes to form top of the panel. We found these can be removed after 2 – 4 hours. Any more than 4 hours, and the bone china will have shrunk too much to allow removal.

We began templates today for the outside series of panels. We’ll mark a code for punches/holes, etc at the top and bottom.

We’ve discovered how to each work the process, individually doing parts and doubling up only on several parts when it takes four hands.

After two hours of hard labor, we took a break and rode bikes into the “Brook” zone south of town. Going further than other times and on a different route, we happened upon government buildings of modern architectural style. There were pre-cast concrete panels – with a rhythm and repeated pattern – flipped. Similar in concept to conversations we’d begun about the outside panel. Good to take a break, for exercise, sunshine and visual stimulation.

Koffel / Willmer
ekwc studio 9
Participant’s Chat 06.27.07



Project: Translucent Ceramic Screen
Rain-screen or interior screen divider for architecture.

Design Concept
• The bone china ceramic panels highlight the physical characteristics of ceramics not obtainable using other building materials: fluid, flexible and simultaneously translucent.
• The focus is on the aesthetic possibilities of a layered wall; the wall distinguishing inside and out, the moment of the threshold, the light transmittance from the sun, the pattern of light on the wall, the floor.
• The installation represents a single possibility.
• Other clay pieces will be developed to suggest other forms the translucent ceramic wall can take.

Goals
To develop a prototype with the industry for real applications both inside and out. Issues under consideration:

Characteristics of Ceramics
• Has unique physical characteristics such as fluid and translucent.
• Transparent to radio frequency opens the building to be fully wireless.
• Can be an antenna.
• Can be self cleaning.
• Conducts electricity.
Product Development Issues
• The thin ceramic panels need to be veneered onto a honeycomb, resin or polymer backing to give them strength.
• Size limitations
• Building system structure for panel support i.e. steel cable or frame sub-structure.
Architectural Uses / Issues
• Sunscreen, rain-screen
• Interior privacy wall, lobby divider etc.
• Multiple geometric forms possible.
• Has both functional and ornamental characteristics.

June 20th

My Dad died today on the east coast. I will be returning for the memorial service. Not completely unexpected as he was 85 years old. Gave a eulogy at the service.

Linda, a good friend sent me the following, an apt metaphor for life’s cycles.

In the metaphor that we are all drops of water in a river I thought that death is really just an evaporation of one of those drops - the transition from living to not, a simple, peaceful, unexplainable phenomenon, one drop evaporates and is no longer in the river but it is not gone either, it is in transition, maybe to come down as another drop of water in another river in another place.

Sarah keeps up the firing, mixing of more bone china, holds are participants chat and explores a fishing village while I am back east.

Images of our test panels from kiln # 1 - first firing show promising results. We will be exploring lighting. The sunlight gives the best translucency! Any ideas on how to best light the panels.

Process: I’d never made many slabs before embarking on the rain screen _ architectural skin proposal Sarah and I’d submitted to ekwc. Seems a simple enough task. We’ve honed it and are taking one page of detailed notes to track the variations in process, so we can learn how best to achieve our goal of 36 panels for our installation I’ve begun to call – “ties that bind us.”

The full-scale mockett has been instrumental in detailing the end goal. We’ve changed the panel proportions, based on available kiln shelves. Realizing the process would require up to 18 shelves at a time, to optimize our schedule. We can make 5- 8 panels a day, depending on our endurance and the complexity of what we do after the initial rolling out process. These dry within a day but so far we’ve only been able to fire one time per week, due to the other participants kiln requirements. We’ve decided to stick with Kiln # 1 – that holds 9 panels. We could switch to Kiln # 4 – and fire all the panels at one go – but this seems a larger risk – and perhaps less predictable. We chose to fire in Kiln # 1 – nine shelves of 45cm x 60 cm x 4cm thick.
We apply alumina oxide mixed with 3% bentonite each firing to insure that the panels can be moved during the making and do not fuse after firing.

Rotterdam the weekend before had been a great adventure. Ekwc hosted a Brick Exposition from work completed in the past year. We’d known some of the artist during our stay in January.

A walking tour of Rotterdam to Rem Koolhaus’s Kunstaller, a Corbusier exhibition at NAI and other building of architectural note completed the day’s jaunt.

Enjoy the images.

Three café /bars held a round robin of performances, music, theater and street mime. Wonderful evening, sitting outside under the canopy of the café, drinking a red wine, coining our favorite phase of the week, “how very Dutch”, not noticing the rain falling, and then walking home without umbrellas.

Time for my blog update, to collect photo’s, resize them and begin to formulate stories. One on culture, Den Bosch and people, another on the journey to Rotterdam, and then process photos of our work in studio 9.

I’ve walked into Den Bosch multiple times, but Saturday evening after making panels all day, we are heading into town as “locals” with Christine. I notice, perhaps not for the first time, name plaques on the building up above the entry doors at the 2nd floor level. I comment upon these. Christine volunteers an explanation. At one time, before Napoleon, buildings in the walled town were named. If you came to the village, you located someone’s home, by inquiring after the home of the trumpeter or baker, etc. These signs still note the home of …. then street numbers and now the reference might be, take the alley near the T-Mobile shop.

June 25th

I am on the airplane returning the east coast for my Dad’s Memorial Service. He died of old age but it still arrived with a jolt. During my time away from .ekwc, Sarah will continue to work the details.

The plane is another sort of meditation practice. As we arrive near Newark, NJ, the women next to me comments that I must travel frequently. She notes my rhythm of reading, journaling, sleeping and computer work. Gentle fluid time for self.