Morula 1

There is a creative impulse to explore both concept and material, and to reveal an abstract idea as a tangible artefact. Materials to me are a source... more

by Baz Manning

Title

Morula 1

Artist

Baz Manning

Medium

Ceramic Art - Bone China, Metal, Cellulose

Description

There is a creative impulse to explore both concept and material, and to reveal an abstract idea as a tangible artefact. Materials to me are a source of inspiration and an answer to the needs of the design. Therefore materials are selected with different rationales: sometimes as means, sometimes as metaphor; but of equal importance is the consideration of the physical properties.



There are issues about boundaries in my work. I place foreign bodies into clay, such as metal and fibres. The processes used reveal these extraneous materials in places at the surface. After firing, the lines left by metals act as a reminder of an invasive presence. There is a concept of loss as foreign bodies are burned away from the clay, but a trace of their existence is present. Often with cancer there is a convention of concealment. By revealing their existence I am presenting a metaphor for something that is real, but with which we are often not prepared to engage. I actively embrace aspects of uncertainty in the creative process. By placing foreign bodies in clay, I am forcing myself to wrangle with resolving the physical changes that occur as a result of the firing process.

Bringing these sorts of artefacts into the public arena provides an opportunity for the audience to consider both the aesthetics and truth of a hidden mutation.

Uploaded

September 1st, 2010