EXPANDING MATERIALITY AND UTILITY
Hayun Surl
Editors: What is the most challenging aspect of working in clay? Hayun Surl: I believe the most challenging aspect of working in clay is the process of understanding its materiality. Making, drying, glazing, and firing—clay is a very time-sensitive medium. More than administrating the process, I am listening and reacting to what clay needs. This reciprocal process is what leads to good work. Perhaps this is what keeps me humble and constantly motivated to do further research with ceramics. I am trying to observe the relationship between individuals and the built environment and how individuals affect environments. Regardless of how we think about society, it is apparent that while we constructed it, we are also constantly influenced by it. 22
www.ceramicartsnetwork.org
I practiced pottery as an apprentice in Korea and am currently a graduate student in ceramics at Ohio University (OU) in Athens, Ohio. Living in Korea and now in the US, I have grown to appreciate the differences in perspectives between these two cultures along with the many individual attitudes and outlooks that exist. Under such circumstances, I always challenge myself to communicate with the public outside of the boundaries of art. Some people say that art is the process of representing one’s ego, but I think art should also resonate with the viewers. I think making something that could build common ground among segregated populations is one of the most challenging aspects artists face, and it is also the most important.
