It has been an amazing month                                                                                                                                             

As Ted Snell said at the opening of HERE & NOW 14 at Lawrence Wilson Gallery, this is the most significant ceramic exhibition in WA in a decade. 

I was hoping to show you lots of images, but unfortunately, photography was not allowed at the opening. Hopefully, the gallery will grant me access to their photos, but I guess I have to be patient about it.

We managed to take a few shots before we knew we shouldn't J

The West Australian article:

I love the image of Warrick's work. You would not think that it's a gallery shot. And that is, in my view, why this exhibition is so significant., beautiful and feels just right: there are no white plinths. ( Well, hardly any white plinths). It is  not so much an exhibition as an experience.

The only time I have encountered such an experience previously was in Korea at Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale in 2009. I hoped to find web site or online images to illustrate what I'm talking about, but this is the only relevant link I could find ( and it has a strong focus on tableware, while I wanted to show you the way the contemporary ceramic is displayed). Have a look, it takes only 6 minutes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CApU68a4aig

Segue 

http://creativemornings.com/cities/per

is where you can find my recent talk: Failure: Playing with Fire.

Preparing for the talk came at precarious time just before assembling Shape of Thought at Lawrence Wilson Gallery. I was hoping that it was not going to be a prediction of the things to come.

Interestingly, although the work was ready with plenty of time to spare, and everything was going well, I still felt very very fragile not only before the sculpture was finally put together, but for weeks afterwards. I know that it is not a unique feeling ( actually it is quite common and something I warn my students, first time exhibitors, about).

 I know that it sounds silly, but I expected the call from the gallery telling me that the piece has collapsed, that it is not good enough, to please come and take it away.

Those feelings are not easy to explain or to talk about. I can't help but to think of Robin Williams and the question lots of people ask: "How can somebody so successful feel so desperate?"

Is it the same something that defines us as artists?

     

Exhibition  set up                                                                                                                                             

I have spent two interesting and intense days in Lawrence Wilson Gallery connecting the sculpture together, and sieving almost 0.5 m³ of kiln fired sand.

Everybody's work looks amazing and it was a rare privilege to watch it all installed and brought to life. 

If you are in Perth, come and see it, it is absolutely inspirational. It will be a pivotal Ceramic exhibition for WA. Opening is on Friday 25th July ( Tomorrow!!) 2014.

Shape of thought looks good in its new surroundings. I'm not going to show it to you and spoil the surprise, but I can't resist a l teaser:

Exhibition                                                                                                                                               

Shape of thought will be exhibited in Lawrence Wilson Gallery, in the HERE&NOW14 exhibition

26 July - 27 September 2014

HERE&NOW14 presents an exciting exhibition of contemporary ceramic work from both emerging and established Western Australian artists.

The exhibition encompasses a variety of materials and techniques ranging from fine porcelain forms and rustic stoneware installations to large-scale sculptural work. Artists working in clay, including Greg Crowe, Pippin Drysdale, Sandra Black, Ian Dowling, Graham Hay, Andrew Nicholls, Warrick Palmateer, Bevan Thompson, Andrea Vinkovic and Stephanie Hammill, have been challenged to produce new work, extending their artistic practice by experimenting with both technical and conceptual approaches.

Objects and installation-based work will be complimented by innovative audio-visual projection works by Jacob Ogden Smith and Luke Aleksandrow, exploring themes surrounding ceramic practice.

I hope to see you there.

Lawrence Wilson Gallery is also organizing public programs for HERE&NOW14 with the Campus partner Earth Sciences and asked me to provide samples of clay and glazes for analysis.

This is soo very exciting!!

Shape of Thought
                                                         

It grew a little bit more, but this is as far as I dare to go:

Please excuse "doctored" background of the image; I did not want messy studio backdrop distracting the view.

So instead of a sphere, I will be exhibiting 3 fragments.

The work still fits its original title: The Shape of Thought

Come to think of it, it probably fits it better than the planed sphere. Thoughts evolve, connect, disconnect and reconnect...

This is the artist statement accompanying the work:

I am inspired by fragility, organic beauty and delicate balance of natural environment, interested in exploring personal and archetypal symbolism of visual language, and intrigued by parallels with cultural environment.

I work with clay. I love the feel, the smell, and the idea of using a natural, earthy, ancient material to explore and express thoughts.

Shape of Thought is inspired by microscopic images of pollens, planktons and molecules and geodesic sphere structure popularized by architect, philosopher and futurist Buckminster Fuller.

I am intrigued by the fact that it is also a shape of Clathrin which plays a major role in the formation of neurotransmitters in our brain.

Although, now it is not the shape of Clathrin...

Second  assembly                                                         

As mentioned in the previous post, I have come to terms with the fact that I can't construct a full sphere right now.(yes, I think I will attempt again in the future).

I know that I can assemble 3 clusters together - 2 hexagons and a pentagon.

Already, the shape has the certain appeal and a presence.

It is almost moving, crawling, slithering....

It is curious how ready our brains are to connect the missing dots into a picture, and how quickly our imagination breathes life into inanimate objects. 

I am beginning to think that fragments of the sphere will be just as interesting, if not more, than a full sphere.

Sphere has a certain poise, perfection of shape. It is balanced,  symmetrical,  accomplished....and  static. It is hard to be curious about a sphere.

Fragments, on the other hand, are a story in the making. They can be parts of the bigger objects, growing or decaying. 

Let's see how big can they grow...

A milk crate seems to be perfect height to support the unbalanced piece. 

So far so good...with the small scale paper model next to it for comparison

And here it is:

I'm not sure if you can see it, but the points on the centre right are not touching the ground.

My creature is standing on the tippy toes.

My creature is standing.

This is exciting.

I am going to leave it like that for a few days to see if it develops any problems (fractures?)

Fractures                                                                                      

The way that pieces broke is really interesting. I would of thought that they would break on the weakest point - narrowest part of the shape, following the construction ( coils) line.
But no, breaks are closer to the middle of the shape and do not follow the lines of coils.
Well, at least I know I can't blame fractures on bad claywork.

I am questioning everything: materials, construction method, design.....

I don't think it is the weight of sculpture as I did not get very far with the assembly, and it was not the bottom pieces that were breaking.

Somebody familiar with the way the skeleton and human body works says that she is familiar with this type of fractures. That is the way our bones break, apparently.
I like the comparison to the skeleton and bones. It speaks of organic origins that intrigue me and inspire my work.

I have attempted a quick internet search of the bone fractures, and just as quickly realized that I could never ever be a doctor.  I can deal with x rays, just not with flesh, blood and pain.

 It is about tension and twist, I think.

During the assembly I was not very comfortable with the way the whole structure moves if the bolts are not tightened (hand tightened, not tool). Yet if it is tightened it becomes too rigid.

I have come to terms that right now, sphere is not going to happen.

My next move will be to try different assembly method.

Almost two months to the exhibition opening - I have plenty of time.

First  assembly                                                         

The big day has arrived – no more postponements – I have to find out if I can put my sculpture together. Will it work?

It is a beautiful day, and the family has gathered to help. I feel very nervous and keep saying to myself that if it doesn't work nobody will die. It is not as if I’m constructing a bridge or a building.

 In other words, worst thing that can happen is not the worst thing that I can imagine happening.

Oh well, that is comforting. But my hands are still shaking as I’m bringing all components to the grassy area in front of the house.

Positioning the first ring clusters roughly where they should be seems like a good starting point.

And so it begins: 

Tie down straps are really, really useful. They pull pieces in, preventing them from leaning too much out of the center.

Second row is already difficult to handle.

Every nut and bolt is adjustable point. If it is too loose, the whole structure moves out of shape. If it is tightened, it becomes rigid. It is really difficult to find the "just right" position.

And I am beginning to see the complexity of putting it all together. And I am starting to panic. I sense that it will not work ( but I was wrong before, so I try to calm myself down).

And this is when we notice that pieces are starting to break. You know how it goes...first you notice one ( oh no!) than you start looking and notice more. Too many.

Time to stop and pull back.

Time to re-think.

Pull it all apart and go back to the drawing board.

Again.