ARCH AND CRAFTS

The polarity of Architecture within the world of Ceramics.

Architecture is without a doubt an interdisciplinary subject. I find daily that other interests and activities in my life, whether it be politics, music, art or ceramics, effects the way in which I design within architecture. Ceramics in particular effects my architectural design process.

Working in Glasgow Ceramic Studio, in Glasgow’s East End WASPS Studio, I regularly make and form ceramic pieces, from tableware like mugs and plates to more experimental forms like vases and pots. In addition to providing a healthy creative outlet besides studio work, I have found working with ceramics incredibly helpful when thinking in 3D, something which is essential within architectural design.

Working by hand, as well as on the wheel, has allowed me to explore different forms that the clay can take. Working by hand allows for a more organic form, whereas using the wheel creates a centred ‘perfect’ piece of pottery. Different potters have different preferences and I often choose to work on the wheel opposed to hand building. I have found this has been useful when exploring different architectural forms, both organic and seamless, that spaces can make.

The unpredictability of working with ceramics - from the initial stages of moulding to bisque firing and eventually glazinghas also enabled me to become less precious about my work within architecture. The need to re-work, test and deploy ideas within ceramic design is essential when working with different clay bodies, glazes and kiln loads. I have learnt that it is often not the first approach that is the most successful – something which is also true when considering building design. This method of testing and deploying different ideas through model making has been a transferrable skill when testing different design approaches within architecture.

Similarly, to the unpredictability of ceramics, I have also found that the patience needed when working with ceramics has given me patience within architecture. Sometimes things take longer than expected when designing, and the same occurs in the ceramic’s studio. Clay undergoes at least two firings (one bisque and one glaze) as well as numerous drying stages before it reaches its final state. As it passes each stage some processes become irreversible, adding to the unpredictability and patience needed when working with clay. Problems arise and solutions aren ’t always as straight forward as you may think. Furthermore, problem solving in each craft is crucial when reaching a finished product.

Once the clay has been bisque fired, then the ceramicist glazes the now solid and fragile clay piece. This stage of design allows for another level of creative expression. Similarly, to architecture, the artist has the freedom to represent their idea and vision in whatever way they see fit. Underglazes, slips, glazes, oxides (and more) can be used to change the visual quality of the clay. In architecture, pencil, pen, computer software’ s, rendering techniques (and more) can be used to represent an architectural idea. What I have found when working in both the GSA studio, and the Glasgow Ceramics studio, is that everyone has a different unique style which sets themselves and their work apart from everyone else, encapsulating their ideas, preferences, and beliefs. This is something I love about both ceramics and architecture, the freedom of expression during the last stages of design.

Once the production is complete both professions produce a functional piece of art, whether it be a building design or a piece of ceramics.

I often find myself producing functional pieces of tableware in ceramics and wonder whether this is linked to my experience of producing functional structures within architecture. I find it enjoyable and rewarding to design products which people use in their everyday life afterwards – from a glazed mug to a new theatre design.

Lastly, the studio culture present in both art practices is one of support and community. Regularly people and students are inspired by one another’ s work and can ask each other for advice and guidance. Regular exhibitions and markets within the ceramic community help artists support one another whilst also giving them a local platform within the art community. Lectures and extra circular activities which occur regularly throughout GSA also provide this opportunity for architecture students.

Ways of working with ceramics and the knowledge I have gained through this discipline has branched into, and enriched, my 5 years of architecture study.

Stage Leader

Tilo Enert

Co-Pilot

Georgia Battye

Tutors

Adrian Stewart

Henry McKeown

Isabel Garriga

Ian Alexander

The aim at the end of Stage 3 is for students to exit the undergraduate course with strong design, representational and technical skills to enter the PPYO (Professional Practice Year Out) with confidence, intellectual maturity and environmental literacy. These skills are refined and strengthened through a design project exploring the key themes of “Energy, Landscape, Culture” at different scales. To cultivate a holistic approach to architectural design, the disciplines of Architectural Technology and Interdisciplinary Design are integrated into and influenced by the studio project.

‘Feeding cities ... arguably has a greater social and physical impact on our lives and planet than anything else we do.’ (Steele, C. Hungry City. London: Vintage, 2008)

By 2050 the urban population is expected to have doubled to what it is now. In preparing our cities for the future we must not only consider the regeneration of the existing infrastructure, but also develop and implement new infrastructures, capable