Material Imperfection: Mapping Form Through Memory
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Material Imperfection: Mapping Form Through Memory THESIS Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Fine Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Ashley Marie Neukamm Graduate Program in Art The Ohio State University 2014 Master’s Examination Committee: Rebecca Harvey, Advisor Alison Crocetta Steven Thurston Copyright by Ashley Marie Neukamm 2014 Abstract The trajectory of this thesis will chronicle the evolution of my MFA candidacy research at The Ohio State University. My work began with an interest in surface that ultimately shifted to a procedure and material-oriented practice that expresses my desire to map memory through ceramic process. My vessels push against traditional notions of functionality combined with a desire to interact with form. Within the realm of ceramic form, issues of flaws and beauty within functional wares drive my work. Using variations of the multiple, I explore individuality. Substantial forms that emphasize the rims, body, and feet of the vessels provide areas for modification. Variation is also derived from anomalies in the ceramic material. I push the clay to its physical limits, testing the edge of functionality, and looking for the moment where engagement meets use. ii Dedication For my parents who inspired me to follow my passions and who have unconditionally believed in me. iii Acknowledgments While it hasn’t always been easy, I am so grateful for the wisdom, advice, and encouragement from my advisor Rebecca Harvey, and committee members Alison Crocetta and Steven Thurston. Thank you so much for all your support! iv Vita 2006 ............................................................... Lake Brantley High School 2010 ............................................................... B.F.A., University of Florida 2011 ............................................................... Post Baccalaureate Certificate, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth 2011 to present ............................................. Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Art, The Ohio State University Fields of Study Major Field: Art v Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................. iv Vita ...................................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... vi List of Figures ................................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1: Introduction to Touch ........................................................................................ 1 Chapter 2: Organization and Process .................................................................................. 3 Chapter 3: Ideology and Exploration .................................................................................. 9 Chapter 4: Color and Memory .......................................................................................... 12 Chapter 5: Form and Material ........................................................................................... 16 Chapter 6: Summation ..................................................................................................... 23 References ......................................................................................................................... 25 vi List of Figures Figure 1. Tea For One ........................................................................................................ 4 Figure 2. Stack 3 ................................................................................................................. 5 Figure 3. Service for 300 ..................................................................................................... 7 Figure 4. My Mother's Plates ............................................................................................ 10 Figure 5. Material Purity .................................................................................................. 13 Figure 6. White IKEA Plate .............................................................................................. 16 Figure 7. An Island of Perfection ...................................................................................... 18 Figure 8. Freedom From Contamination Triptych ........................................................... 20 Figure 9. Flower Bricks .................................................................................................... 21 vii Chapter 1: Introduction to Touch I create ceramic vessels that serve a utilitarian purpose while addressing concerns of functionality, multiplicity, and individuality. Notions of form and function are in response to an upbringing surrounded by ceramic tchotchkes and fine china. The urge to touch, make, collect, and display are all directly related to my upbringing, and are oftentimes in direct opposition to how I was raised. As infants, one of the ways we learn is through sensory touch. It is an innate urge to explore something with our hands. It is not enough to just see an object, but to feel it and discover whether it is smooth, abrasive, cold, or hot. This is what enriches the senses and allows for a deeper understanding of the material in front of us. Growing up there were tons of objects in my home I was forbidden to touch, and of course curiosity got the better of me. The cold, hard, slick feel of my parent's ceramic objects intrigued me from a young age and I still remember getting in trouble for touching something that was "off limits." In my work, I strive to facilitate in the user an urge to touch and examine my ceramic vessels. My interest in materiality comes from this desire to touch. There is a certain weight that comes with using a ceramic vessel versus paper or plastic. One of my greatest joys is waking up and savoring a hot cup of coffee in a ceramic mug, feeling the cup warm in my hands. I like making work that has the potential to affect someone's life, even if it is in a small, minute way. I want my work to evoke a sense of curiosity and 1 wonder while inviting continual use, leading to a growing familiarity of the form and surface. 2 Chapter 2: Organization and Process Spatial barriers have long been evident in my work. Whether expressed through surface decoration or through materiality, the building and breaking of planes, the undulations of line that repeats is a constant. When I entered graduate school, color, pattern, and texture adorned my pots. Growing up I was accustomed to using relatively plain dishes—most of the surface decoration was found on the rim of the plate or bowl. In my work, surface always trumped form. I began drawing and overlapping patterns and images to reference the maps I looked at in my youth. Regional maps of my hometown and state were the inspiration for my imagery, and more specifically, the maps focused on land organization and meteorological patterns. While the actual data represented on the maps was not important, the graphic quality of the maps and the way they organized space seemed to be at the heart of the matter. I translated the imagery from my maps into abstract drawings that referenced barriers and the breakdown of space on my forms. My palette referenced not only the brightly colored maps, but also the vivid beach homes I grew up around in central Florida. 3 Figure 1. Tea For One As I looked at these forms, I was unhappy with the static nature of the surface— they lacked visual depth and atmosphere. However, I was drawn to the fact that they seemed to offer themselves as building blocks for more complicated forms. I played with their orientations in my studio and what interested me were the forms they created as I stacked and clustered vessels together. I made towers to lift off the table. Color quieted while silhouette and line became the focus of my work. These stacks had multiple forms combining to create a secondary shape that extended, contracted, and rose off the table. 4 The division of space between each object created a physical barrier between each subsequent form. Figure 2. Stack 3 Stripping away the layers in my work, I focused individually on color, line, and texture to concentrate on how to recreate the amount of information on each singular piece, and translate that on to multiple vessels. I wanted to see if this had the same result without overwhelming the senses, and one of my first experiments with this was using 5 the RAM press to create blanks. The RAM press is a hydraulic machine that was designed by Keith Blackburn and Richard Steele, two graduate ceramic engineering students at The Ohio State University in the mid-1940s (Pelleriti). This machine is used to create multiple identical objects. It compresses clay in a two-part mold with an internal compressed air system to assist in releasing the clay after compression. The RAM requires minimal water in the clay to prevent suction to the die and warping of the object. In lowering the amount of water in the clay along with the pressure of the hydraulic lifts creates a tightly