Randi O’Brien
National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts
Panel Discussion: Critical Making the Pink Elephant in the Room
Location: Tampa Convention Center - Room 22
Time: 3:30PM Thursday, March 31st
Slide 1
Thank you Ben and my fellow panelist, and with much gratitude I would like to thank Trey Hill, Julia Galloway, and Beth Lo who have generously supported me over the past 3 years. It is certainly an honor to be hosted by NCECA and we are all grateful for Chanda Glending’s role is the opportunity. Slide 2
When Ben first approached us to participate on this panel and proposed the juicy sound bite “Critical Making: the Pink Elephant in the room”, I questioned which; of the many pink elephants in ceramics, was he referencing.
There is no doubt that there are many superficial hierarchies and comparisons in the ceramics field. Nevertheless and regardless of which ceramic pink elephant you decide to be burdened by, it is simply a metaphor for denial. It is my goal to depart from various justifications for denial, and focus on the bold and subtle qualities of critical making.
It is easy to assume we know how to be critical, but I often see students and artists missing the entire point of critical thinking, and thus lacking the ability to make critically. So let me be clear from the beginning.
Critical thinking results in interpretation, analysis, and evaluation. Simple right? Unfortunately and what predominantly gets over looked are the foundational tools of evaluation. These tools are an explanation of the formal, methodological, contextual, and conceptual considerations of the work. Investigation into formal (what I mean by this are the materials, and the elements and principals of design- line, shape, color, form, etc.), methodology meaning the procedure or technique in creating an object, contextual describing the inter-related conditions in which something exists, and conceptual are the foundations to critical thinking and making.
Equally important to critical making by means of clear analysis is the understanding that critical making is not a new method limited to the twenty-first century. It is a highly developed lineage that originated in ancient western civilization. For centuries, Socrates has stood as a model of intellectual inquiry: the ideal critical thinker. It is not any particular idea that earned him this reputation. “It is his method of questioning and cross-examination that is taken as the original model for critical thinking.” Slide 3
What is exciting for this panel in particular is the occurrence and relationship of critical making to critical theory. Critical making is not simply aligning yourself to an aesthetic theorist, following his plan, and calling it critical. In fact I find that critical making often ignites modes of critical theory. Slide 4
We see examples of critical making precede critical theory in the faithful and honest genera scenes of the 1700’s and the French enlightenment defined by Montesquieu and Diderot. Slide 4/ part 1 Manet preceding Charles Baudelaire’s writings on modernity in the 1860’s, and later Roger Fry in the 1920’s Slide 4/part 2 and Meyer Shapiro in the 30’s specifically address the way in which art precedes and is isolated from theory in its initial manifestation.
My rational for reminding ourselves of this developed lineage of critical making is to address the pink elephant representing those who argue that they make critically because they follow the writings of Ruskin and Morris, or really any former critical theorist for that matter. As I stated before critical making has proved historically to precede theory.
It’s not that I want to dismiss former theorists, as their ideals and modes of making in their context were brilliant. Rather I want to address a potential reason for denial in contemporary terms. Specifically, how many who still seem to be burdened by a pink elephant are missing a present contextual evaluation of their work.
If the ultimate goal is contemporary relevance (and trust me … I do not assume nor imply it to be everyone’s goal), then I believe we can remedy most of the pink elephants by asking: was the art making critical by means of formal, methodological, contextual, and conceptual avenues.
What I would like to do now is look at a vein of art from the past 5 to 10 years that focus specifically on community and discuss the means by which they are making critically. Slide 5
I wanted to start my images with a familiar and obvious face. Ultimately what we are seeing here is the full employment of the 4 tools of critical making, which has certainly been one of the key factors to Ai Weiwei critical acclaim. Slide 6
Ai Weiwei has in the recent years become a household name in the contemporary scene. Between activism, philosophy, photography, film, and social and cultural endeavors he creates both subtle and bold political pieces that take a critical stand towards the drastic changes presently taking place in China. His ceramic works include examples that highlight a range of unprecedented use of Neolithic and Han dynasty vessels as historic “ready-mades”. Slide 7
The formal qualities in his ceramic work are direct and poignant: Neolithic ceramic vase or jars 5000 – 3000 BCE; and industrial paint. Slide 8
Methodologically his work is equally direct: With casual indifference he grabs a Neolithic jar , as though he is at a paint your own pottery store, and dips or drips thick, synthetic matt poise pinks, royal blues, teals, yellows, and reds. Slide 9
The true brilliance of Weiwei’s work is the interconnectivity of form and method with context. In Western culture vases, urns, and other pots of this era are usually cherished for their anthropological importance, and are further seen as cultural treasures. By employing them as ready-mades, Weiwei removes their context of preciousness only to reapply in a different system of cultural evaluation. Philip Tinari has talked about “contemporary China’s curious relation to its past, a situation where destruction of historical artifacts happens almost daily.” Weiwei has emphasized Chinas historical destruction by creating a gesture of cultural washing that virtually eliminates the past in support of a new synthetic-colored future. Slide 10
While ready-mades have become a tool frequently used; this however, is not the well-worn tactic of the readymade famously employed by Duchamp, wherein the object lacked cultural worth until placed in an Art context. “Instead, Weiwei’s chosen ready-mades already have significance”. Working in this manner, Weiwei transforms precious artifacts into contemporary fine art. Slide 11
Weiwei has challenged popular ideas on communities that are far reaching and include communities from the prehistoric past, to material culture, Eastern and Western, communities willing to destroy for the opportunity of success, and communities buying for symbolic status both in the historic and contemporary sense. Slide 12
Similar in content, yet working with unfired clay, Kristen Morgin captures ideas of the past and the way the present lives in it. Whether they are teacups, carousel horses, cars, or Slide 13 comic books her works are splintered into many pieces and have the patina of timeless age. Accordingly, “each work simultaneously memorializes and destroys the object it portrays. Her decayed life-sized objects are realistic in scale and shape, yet they are abstracted through the process of their implied degradation.” Slide 14
Her work occupies an intersection of cultural and economic interests that pays close attention to the ideal of property, value and negligence. Through her use of formal and methodological tactic she recognizes bodily ruin and hardship that are at once romanticized in her solemn and modest compositions. Slide 15
Similar to Weiwei, Morgin’s reflective nature on collection and selective choice on materiality calls into question the contextual standers for valuation and the contemporary misconception of timelessness. Slide 16
Staying in the mode of clay and not ceramics, Dutch designer Maarten Baas who was recently nominated designer of the year, has created a series title “Clay Furniture”. Clay furniture is made of synthetic Clay, with a metal skeleton inside to reinforce the structure. Each of the pieces are made in his studio, and are “uniquely handmade by Baas and his team of ten assistants”. Baas brings a linear finesse that is used to wage blunt satires and pose cutting ironies. Slide 17
These works ranged from the experiential to the sculptural and they all pose a certain rebuttal to traditional design methodology. While Baas in his own words; “approaches design without knowledge of, or care for, predisposed boundaries,” his work is self reflective, and in fact acknowledges former traditions, establishments, and supposed truths to unveil its contemporary fallacy. Slide 18 In this self professed post-post modern approach, he features making about making in an attempt to make the audience aware of its ficitionality.
His body of work; while considered design, has the imperfect edge of an artist playing in the studio, which reflects his criticism of western ideology on design. And further reflects his desire to remain un-tethered by definitive “one-liners that tell us how things actually are, (i.e. form follows function).” Slide 19
The materiality of synthetic clay introduces the proverbial un-tethered, fantastic or impossible elements into a narrative that is otherwise normal. It is between the worlds of post modernism and systemized cultural interests where Baas has challenged both the global market community, his micro community of design, and the connoisseur community of clay and ceramics. Slide 20
Recently the show Object Factory: The Art of Industrial Ceramics’ at the Gardiner Museum, Toronto, challenges micro community and self investigation. While on the one hand this show captures design genera’s from the boldly cynical, re-use, DIY, digital manufacturing, and the traditional, on the other hand the artists meet at the crossroads of critical investigation. Slide 21 The artist share a deep ethical and social consciousness, the will to question the limits of design and the potential to be experimental and innovative. Slide 22 This is a community unafraid to engage conceptuality from both a skeptical and traditional avenue. The curators of these shows have questioned everything and the selected artists have done equally as much. Slide 23
What your seeing here is a tea pot by Jorgen Bey from his minuet series titled 144 minuets teapot. In the same vein as Baas, Bey calls into question making about making. Bey’s conceptual works demonstrate how the table can represent an intellectual space for feasting on ideas. Slide 24
Before I move on from the design phase of my talk I would like to encourage you check out this 5 min video about three designers who were approached by Jurgen Bey Slide 24/ part 1to document the way in which they could design critically about a specific location with Dutch clay as a foundation for inspiration.
The designers of Atelier Kolk “operate as biologists, archeologists and ethnologists during their design process”. Slide 24/part 2 They spent a year in residence at a farm in the Dutch Noordoostpolder, where they meticulously “investigated the specific vegetation, historic roots and local culture, to create designs that are strongly rooted in this specific area”. Slide 24/part 3 It is a perfect illustration on the extensive mode of critical making. It’s an absolutely wonderful video and the work is even better!
(Design research in the Noordoostpolder: Atelier NL and Maarten Kolk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4chUCehdbY)
Slide 25
In the wake of the DIY movement and Craftivism we have recently seen a global and micro community rallying for a greater cause. Last year Michael Strand put a spin on Indy-Knitting Craftivism and Craftfitti by developing the ArtStimulus Project. “Art Stimulus was set up as a clearing house for craft generosity projects that quietly gift everyday people with handmade objects.” Strand’s original art stimulus project was centered on the village like communities of Dwight, North Dakota (population 75) and Dwight, Nebraska (population 259). Slide 26
In Strand’s words; “Over a decade ago I had an idea to become more proactive about how Art is disseminated into society. Growing increasingly uninterested in "pedestal work" and the art market in general, I looked at other media”- The Cup. His art stimulus cups are delivered by hand, and each cup is in a box with the top lid open, revealing a cup. On the top of a box is a sticker that simply reads "Hello" and on the interior is a note to the person who finds the cup. Strand makes a direct and simple connection with people and challenges the way that they would typically encounter handmade art or craft. Slide 27
The contextual act of gifting personal handmade objects to strangers in this techno-culture and hyper-reality is nothing short of a critical action. While straightforward, this basic action focuses on the nature of contemporary community through an investigation of accountability and engagement.
At the same time Strand questions modes of community and art distribution, he also breaks away from the conventions of a structured aesthetic theory and employs methods of social practice. Many postmodern artist, as a response to modernism, which frequently set its audience apart from themselves, attempt to involve the audience as much as possible over the course or in a series of work. This participatory mode of making and engagement is also seen in the Obama Ware project, the recent auction Handmade for Japan, and the much anticipated Cuplomacy. Slide 28
I have looked at the former artists from a ceramic or clay centric point of view, however in works that tackle making from a critical perspective; I believe they can then be evaluated alongside any so called blue chip, or fine art concepts. Again diminishing the pink elephant who concerns its self with inequality amongst the arts.
The bottom line is that critical making in the ceramics field is one of many broad techniques to engage our audience. Yet it is the artist who engages critical making through the use of formal, methodological, contextual, and concept that are unburdened by any supposed pink elephant.
To switch modes here: After I had finished this presentation Ben recently informed us that he would like us to address our own work and the modes we make critically… Slide 29 While I’d like to attest to how I’m working towards some greater conceptual significance; In truth, I don’t feel I make as critically as I could. Slide 30 My instincts rest at the heart of history and investigating what was. I constantly worry about making historical estrangements and misappropriating imagery without intent. Slide 31 I’ve recently finished a series of deer that, methodologically were founded in a deep appreciation for craftsmanship, but lacked a connection to the formal and contextual elements in my work. Slide 32I was trying to create clean forms, with voluptuous or sinuous tension; which in this deer series, hinted to the traditional model of allegorical narrative and sculpture. Slide 33 While I referenced historical allegory I tried to transform them into allegories of the present rather than historical re-appropriations.
Slide 34 I’ve just entered into my final year of grade school. In this next 8 months I hope to refine my ideas, in the attempt to better employ my use of materials, techniques, and context into a holistic and fluid concept. The true responsibility for me is to the idea. Thank you.
Bibliography
Carroll, Robert Todd, Becoming a Critical Thinker, (©2004 Robert Todd Carroll)
Johnson, Garth, “STRANDED!”, Extreme Craft, http://www.extremecraft.com/
