This is the first blog entry, in a series,
outlining the developing of a new idea / concept in the design and manufacture
of a range of ceramic products titled Pop
Couture. The ceramic work will take the form and shape of popcorn.
Presented here are preparatory ballpoint pen renderings and one or two finished
drawings, showcasing the development of the form and shape for the manufacture
of the ceramic products. The ceramics will be slip cast in porcelain and or
bone china and individually decorated to create one-of-a-kind expressive
ceramic statement.
As the title suggests the ceramic work will
incorporate and make reference to Pop Art and Haute couture. Two quotes below provide a glimpse into the
thinking behind the work and possible creative outcomes. Various books have and
will influence my thinking, they include; Art and Authenticity, Thomas Heatherwick MAKING, The Hare with Amber Eyes, Manufractured,
Fragiles and Digital Handmade (recently acquired). The specifics of which
will be explained in future blog posts.
Pop Art exploded onto the art scene on both sides of the Atlantic in the early 1960s. Suddenly a few artists turned against the long-standing art world aversion to bourgeois culture and liberated the use of popular materials and methods. They recognised that their material image banks and those of their audience, as well, came not from the Bible or Classical myth, or novels and plays, or even history but from films, adverts, television and comics. The works of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein played with references from every day life and fashion to make bold, vibrant art that initiated and artistic revolution during the post-war flowering of a consumer culture , spearheaded by developments in the US. (Bradford R, 2012: end cover).
Haute couture; French for "high sewing" or "high dressmaking" or
"high fashion") refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted
clothing. Haute couture is high-end fashion that is constructed by hand from
start to finish, made from high quality, expensive, often unusual fabric and
sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and
capable sewers, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques. Couture
translates literally from French as "dressmaking" but may also refer
to fashion, sewing, or needlework and is also used as a common abbreviation of
haute couture and refers to the same thing in spirit. (Wikipedia as cited on 11
December 2015)
The rendered ideas on paper require further
investigation, refining of the form and shape from a surface development
perspective. The surface is what will
receive major attention in the individually crafted bespoke products. The
overall form and shape of the popcorn will remain the same. It is vital that a
simplified form and shape be designed (stylised), conducive to a variety of surface development
options – either hand painted, digital crafted decals and specially formulated
glazes. Various sizes will be created to explore one-of-a-kind ceramic statements
and installations (small, medium and large). This will be achieved by modelling
the desired form and shape in Y2 modelling Clay. The prototype will then be photographed
and scanned, using the latest technology (3D printing), to produce a variety of
sizes, end products for moulding and slip casting.
My prime aim and objective will be to
create ceramics that celebrates the handmade in a digital age in the context of
globalisation. Various surfaces development techniques and methods will be
embraced to express myself. In some works I will exploit my own ballpoint pen
drawings skills to create one-of-a-kind digitally printed decals on a variety of themes. Hopefully I can capitalise on the latest technology to create authentic
ceramic surface techniques in keeping with the title of the works.
Emphasis will be placed on the bespoke,
celebrating the handmade. Another idea will be to celebrate the skills of the
unknown craftspeople, paying homage to the artisan, in the creation of
contemporary ceramic “couture” statements. The details of which will be
explored further in future blog posts.
The work will be a return to the design and manufacture of ceramic sculptures, my first love as a student and emerging artist. The envisaged end product falls within the scope of the focus of my creative output in the past few years. I am very happy that the end product will be a ceramic work, in form and shape as well as in the development of appropriate ceramic surfaces.
