Project Bank: Converse
Today I took some quick pictures of Project Bank (before firing). So, I can show you all the "Change" from beautifully not broken to aesthetically interestingly broken.
Above is what I call a jug bank. I painted on acrylic blue and in the grooves of the texture went over it with black under glaze pencil. The idea is the blue will burn out and turn brown. Hopefully making this piece less appealing.
Here is a close up of the cracks going through the piece. I want to keep these cracks pronounced as much as possible. I believe the cracks are very important in this project and I want to embrace them.
These two images above are "Jug banks" as well. In all these pieces I used a similar texture. The green one is glazed with a greenish/blue. I've also enhanced the texture with black under glaze. And black bank is washed in varying tones of black under glaze and under glaze pencil. These two pieces also have cracks going around them.
And finally the four put together. One thing I really love about these pieces are the fact they have varying heights. The cracks in some are minor compared to the cracks of others. I'm hoping that in the firing process the cracks will become more pronounced.
Earlier today a friend of mine commented on them and said the wouldn't buy them because they are broken. So, the conundrum still stands. Will the breaks in the clay help the owner/viewer want to break them? And will these pieces after they are fired work well with the idea as a whole. I guess we will find out once they come out of the kiln. As always the debate still stands. Let me know what you think and keep posted for new images.
Here is a close up of the cracks going through the piece. I want to keep these cracks pronounced as much as possible. I believe the cracks are very important in this project and I want to embrace them.
These two images above are "Jug banks" as well. In all these pieces I used a similar texture. The green one is glazed with a greenish/blue. I've also enhanced the texture with black under glaze. And black bank is washed in varying tones of black under glaze and under glaze pencil. These two pieces also have cracks going around them.
Earlier today a friend of mine commented on them and said the wouldn't buy them because they are broken. So, the conundrum still stands. Will the breaks in the clay help the owner/viewer want to break them? And will these pieces after they are fired work well with the idea as a whole. I guess we will find out once they come out of the kiln. As always the debate still stands. Let me know what you think and keep posted for new images.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Project Bank: To Break Or Not To Break???
So, I've received a lot of feed back about Project Bank. The consensus that I've come to realize is most people will not break something handmade even if the art was created with speed and little care. If it's visually appealing. it's more likely to be kept, and therefor the project is obsolete.I was asked by another artist "What about the object wants to make you want to break it?"
I thought my philosophy on material objects was enough to persuade a persons to destroy it. I also expected that most people would understand the art of breaking the piece as a liberating experience. Furthermore, gain money as a reward for it's destruction.
Boy was I wrong....
Apparently, I didn't understand the question, and not only that, I didn't understand the psychology behind the perception of beauty. If the object is deemed beautiful the majority of the population will not destroy beauty, but cherish it.
So, with my new understanding I go back to the question at hand, "What about this object make you want to break it?". I return to my studio pondering this question and I thought to myself what if the object is not aesthetically appealing and also broken.
Would a person be more inclined to break and object which is already broken (broken meaning has faults and cracks) but is till able to fulfill it's purpose?
With these questions in mind I've started to make objects that reflect my semi-rhetorical question.
I'm curious to find out how these new objects are perceived. All comments are welcome and I will update with photos shortly.
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