UCLAN School of Art Design & Performance

MA Student learning agreement

Name Pam Gould

MA Course Title Ceramics

Status (F/T or P/T) PT

Date 20/10/2017

Version No.: 5

Brief explanation/ outline of project

My project is an investigation into ‘the hole’ in abstract sculpture, taking as my starting point Paolo Scheggi’s pierced and layered canvases. From 1958 to his premature death in 1971, Scheggi transformed the canvas from mere artist support to art object in its own right.

Paolo Scheggi: painted, cut and layered canvas

By adding real space, he invited the viewer to look beyond the surface to what lies beneath.

The main focus of my practice will be the interplay between form and space, considering such elements as the relationships between size/number of holes: size/shape of form, concavity and convexity, organic and geometric, light and shadow, and the effects of surface finish. I also intend to explore the relationship between sculptural forms – grouping, stacking, suspending – as well as making stand-alone pieces.

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Context / Rationale

Ceramicists are not strangers to holes – what would a cup be without a hole for containing tea, or a vase without a hole for holding flowers? Ceramicists have also been piercing clay for hundreds of years, for such purposes as decoration, light transmission and ritual.

a) b) c)

a) Japanese Imari pierced porcelain double-walled bowl, late 17 th/early 18th century

b) Islamic Seljuk pierced bowl, 12th century. The pin holes are probably to emulate the translucency of porcelain.

c) Mexican Mimbres Kill bowl, 11th century. The burial bowl is ‘killed’ by punching out the bottom, and placed on the head of the deceased to assist the spirit on its journey to the afterlife.

Western Sculpture caught up with the concept of the hole somewhat later. Henry Moore called 1932 ‘the year of the hole’, however Barbara Hepworth had already created her first pierced form a year earlier, in 1931. Her abstract sculptures, inspired by the landscapes of Yorkshire and Cornwall, and direct-carved in wood or stone are those I most admire. I find Hepworth’s exploration of space and form breath-taking in its breadth and ambition. She continues to influence sculptors such as Halima Cassell and Mari-Ruth Oda. I too hope to learn from Hepworth’s work, and draw on it as an inspiration for my own.

Barbara Hepworth Halima Cassell Mari Ruth Oda

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In 1950s Milan, the hole transitioned to the canvas. This transition was accomplished not by a painter, but by theorist and ceramic sculptor, Lucio Fontana, who is now best known for his punctured and slashed canvases:

Lucio Fontana Spatial Concept series, 1949, 1965, 1959

Lucio Fontana (1899-1968) was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. His enduring experiments with space are landmarks in the history of abstract art and led many artists, including Yves Klein and Piero Manzoni, to consider him to be the father of contemporary art. His work can be seen as prefiguring much of the conceptual art being created today.  http://www.estorickcollection.com/exhibitions/lucio-fontana-at-the-roots-of-spatialism

Having worked through his ideas in clay, Fontana concluded that form can never be spatial. The altered canvas, however, was between forms, neither painting nor sculpture. The puncture or slash added a third dimension of space to the canvas, reaching beyond the surface to the infinity of the cosmos. For him the hole was ‘a new kind of sculpture’, ‘the beginning of a sculpture in space’.

Lucio Fontana Spatial Concept, Ceramic 1954, 1957, 1967, 1968

Fontana also played the role of mentor to younger artists during the 1960s, one of whom was Paolo Scheggi. Scheggi’s aims were more grounded than Fontana’s. He thought space could be researched, analysed and made apparent to the viewer in the layering of his canvases and the interplay of light and shadow. It is this aspect of his work that speaks to me.

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And his earlier works speak loudest. Scheggi’s early works reference Fontana’s egg motif, which is common to artists who were influenced by Fontana e.g. artist Dadamaino, ceramic designer Antonia Campi.

Lucio Fontana La Fin De Dio 1964 Dadamaino Volume Cut Paper 1960 Antonia Campi Umbrella Stands 1950s

The generative metaphor represents post-war optimism and renewed hope for the future – the birth of a new era when, under Fontana’s influence, artists would embrace new technologies and articulate the Space Age.

This egg metaphor links to the microscopic images of Rob Kesseler’s pollen and seeds, which informed my work in Design Practice 1. I therefore intend to explore microscopic imagery as possible source material for forms.

Rob Kesseler Seeds and Zona Pallucida (mammalian egg)

Scheggi’s layered methodology is itself a metaphor for the multi-layered meanings that ‘hole’ engenders. The hole can be at once safety, home, the object of a game, and difficulty, confinement, or a flaw. Perhaps it is this duality that fuels our fascination with holes. The similarity between the Mimbres 12th century Kill Bowl and Fontana’s porcelain plate of 1968 (ironically the year of his death) extends beyond the central piercing. In both the hole is a metaphor for a portal to an alternative reality – the eternity of the afterlife in the case of the

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Mimbres bowl, and the infinite space of the cosmos in the case of Fontana. The metaphor of the hole as portal is common to both literature and the visual arts. Probably the most famous literary example is the Rabbit Hole in Lewis Carroll’s fantasy novel, Alice in Wonderland. Marcus Koncan in his essay On the Nature of the Portal in Fantasy Literature says The symbolic journey a character makes through the portal is key to creating the fabric of the fantasy world. The portal, he concludes, is an ‘open border between rational and magical thinking’.

The hole as portal is also apparent in the current work of such artists as sculptor, Michael Kukla and graffitist, 1010:

Michael Kukla Black Hole Sun slate, Breathe 1, marble, Stratal, ply

1010 Street Art, 2015, Portal 3, cut paper and paint, Street Art 18

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Michael Kukla says that his work is concerned with:

….the mystery of space - of standing in front of a thing and trying to visualize what it would be like to ….. pass through it with our minds' eye, as though it were a portal, and suddenly be able to enter a realm that isn't limited by time or form. http://mkukla.com/about.html

1010, on the other hand, prefers ‘to leave enough space for interpretation and projection for the viewer’ http://www.hashimotocontemporary.com/interview-1010/ , but claims early inspiration from fantasy novels, and calls his works names like abyss, passage or portal. Much of his other street art consists of worm-like creatures, so it is difficult not to link the two as wormholes, theoretical passages in space-time.

I think all the arts act as potential portals, offering the opportunity for the viewer/listener to suspend their own reality and experience the creativity and world view of others. Will the holes in my work enable and/or enhance this affect? I would like to think so. I hope that engagement with my work will, just for a while, allow the viewer to step outside the rational, the temporal and the quotidian.

Key areas of Research / Key Activities

I have only just identified a direction for my work, underpinned by sound theoretical concept. At this stage, the first question is ‘what exactly am I going to make?’, followed by ‘how am I going to make it?’ The two questions are interrelated, but I’ll deal with them separately. There are two options for the first question:

1. Carve holes through what I call a ‘basic form’. As aforementioned, I initially intend to research artists who use the hole in their work, and revisit the images of Rob Kesseler for source material for the basic forms. Do drawings, make maquettes and test the possibilities, considering the relationship between hole and form – location, size, shape, number of holes. Consider scale, as well as grouping.

2. Let the holes dictate the form. This is something that I’ve been thinking about since in cropped up in my 30 Day Challenge, and I have since discussed with Wendy. An example can be seen in the coloured paper works of Charles Clary, below.

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I think this method will lend itself to exploring stacking, grouping, suspending. Due to the time frame, I’ll concentrate on the ‘basic form’ method first, and put this on the back burner for later.

I’ve started investigating the second question, method of making, and have already successfully eliminated two methods that don’t work. I’ve drawn up a list of methods to try, and add to these ‘extrusion’ suggested by Wendy. Now to continue making and find those that do work.

Surface finish remains an enigma. Until I’ve actually made some finished and bisque fired pieces, it remains somewhat speculative. I know I don’t want the surface to be tactile and enhance the interplay of light and shadow, so stains rather than oil spot. Maybe a super-smooth parian glaze, or a velvety texture. Not gloss, but not too dry. Colour - Wouter Dam rather than Sol le Wit. Maybe a contrast between the hole and the form. Maybe grouped objects will be different to stand-alone objects. Lots of questions to be explored. I’ve ascertained so far that stains can be mixed from primaries to achieve a wide range of colours. More testing required – my test tiles are fired and ready to go.

Clay body is another aspect that can only be determined by making. I prefer to work with a smooth or finely grogged clay, and keep coming back to Ashraf Hannah. For experimental purposes, though, I’m using a cheaper clay with a similar texture. Once I’m making pieces that I want to keep, I’ll use Ashraf Hannah, considering other bodies later – if I have the need.

I’ve also had a hankering to use contrasting coloured clay since the first term. Michael Kukla’s layered ply pieces are stunning. I love the way the layers enhance the forms.

Possible investigation of the use of layered coloured bodies at a later date?

Intended outcomes of project tended outcomes of project

At the moment I can’t see beyond Design Practice 2. My aim is to have investigated the hole-in-basic- form (1 above), both in terms of formal influence and method(s) of making. I want to be testing my first glazes on finished pieces, with a view to evaluating them for development in Design Practice 3. I aim to have two or three stand-alone pieces of varying scale, and maybe a small group for the January Assessment.

UCLAN School of Art Design & Performance

MA Student learning agreement

Pam Gould 23/10/2017

Student signature: Date