Every time I talk about my artwork to others, whether that’s through a one to one tutorial, a presentation, or a group tutorial, I am becoming more conscious of my stance within the creative realm of ceramics. What do I want to create? Over the past month or so it’s become crystal clear to me!
I like straight lines. I want to make minimalist forms, forms to go in a gallery. Not anything intended for domestic purposes. And for this project I want to make forms which symbolise the interlocking of two entities. For me it is so satisfying to make clay-essentially a squishy lump of earth- into something so straight and geometric. But what are these entities?… Through certain shapes and forms, I want to represent the relationship between object and body: the object being the cup and the body being the hand.
Pencil drawing of an interesting mug I saw in Thaikhun Restaurant in Oxford. Note how it was picked up not by the handle, but by the dent on the other side which the hand fitted so comfortably into.
Long shapes such as cylinders and rectangular cuboids will represent the cup and varying shapes will be the hand encasing or holding the cup. These two pieces will then interlock- to become one. I’m analysing the shapes our body and a material object can physically make, that connection they have: the comfort of holding a mug of hot tea and the transition of warmth from the hot mug of liquid joy (in my case it would be a cup of tea after being outside in the cold) to one’s hand.
Some perspective drawings of ideas
Drawing from my research into resting positions, from the starting point of the Jacobsen chairs in the Ken Stradling collection this moved onto the ergonomics of a mug; something which I can (and have made) make out of clay.
Terracotta maquettes I have slab built to get across the sort of forms I wish to create.
I am excited as I type this purely by the fact that I know what I want to make, and I can’t bloody wait.
Georgie Phillips 