We All Have Tales
A project using foraged clay and waste materials 2018 - 2021
The waste products from writing a piece of text organised into a poem
This series of work is inspired by the writing of David Pye
‘the risk is real’ (1), in
The many stages of making
Making, firing, glazing
The clay is rolled and compressed in different orientations, in uniform thicknesses which reduce the likelihood of warping
The thrower and the hand-builder compress the clay
Makers mitigate these risks along the way
Uneven moisture and irregular thicknesses of the clay can cause tension
and cracking.
Air pockets cause explosions in the kiln
Uneven moisture, drying too quickly, combining clays.
We all have tales
There are too many to list here,
but ask any ceramic maker and they will tell you.
This series of work responds to
foraged materials from members of the local ceramic community.
In order to reactivate
by drying and slaking the clay into a slip. The slip is layered
layered onto a plaster batt
poured onto a plaster batt to dry slightly before another waste product is layered on top.
the qualities of these materials are largely unknown
and reveal themselves during the kiln firing.
Pye, D, (1968) The Nature and Art of Workmanship. 1st ed. Cambridge: University Press, p.6.