GUAN LEE
LIFE OF CLAY
Methodology
feedback was the importance of allowing participants to use equipment incorrectly. For example, the potter’s wheel is not just a machine to make pots, it is a platform that rotates and as such can be used in different ways, i.e. to make carved sculptures. This ‘wrong’ way of using equipment is a vital part of creating new possibilities when working between different clay technologies. The Eastside Projects workshop was the catalyst for a number of ceramic projects, including Clay Spaghetti with Glithero (10-1).
1. Interdisciplinary engagement with architects, manufacturers, historians, craftspeople, ceramicists and artists
Grymsdyke Farm is a communal working space, where researchers and students are able to stay for long periods and use workshop facilities that are not restricted by discipline or process; for example, they can move easily between a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine and a potter’s wheel. Within this communal environment, learning and research methods were developed collaboratively and across disciplines in various projects carried out over five years. The hypothesis was that this approach would enrich clay practices, invite local input and broaden the relevance of the project to other researchers and makers. We designed a three-day ceramics workshop at the farm in February 2015 for ten artists from Eastside Projects in Birmingham – an artist-run gallery and studio space – to work with architecture students, heritage builder Rebecca Reid, and local ceramicist Jessie Lee. The artists were provided with images and information on local archaeological finds and the history of clay use, sourced in discussion with former Buckinghamshire County Archaeologist Michael Farley. Collaboration was encouraged by asking participants to bring their own objects and images to work from and identify crossovers in their research interests using digital and traditional clay processes. The workshop began with the opportunity to learn specific techniques. Gradually, participants were encouraged to work together with technical support. One of the key findings of this workshop and
10 Clay Spaghetti, 2017. Different shaped nozzles were attached to the robotic clay extruder to experiment with form. 11 Clay Spaghetti, 2017, after the first firing.
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