Last week was a busy one, on Monday I went down to London for the Craft Council’s ‘Craft, Creativity and the Computer Controlled Age’ event.
It was one of the many London Design Festival attractions held between 15 – 25 September. Chaired by Sir Christopher Frayling, it brought together makers involve or interested in the application of digital technology in their practices. The presentations were followed by a debate that ranged from the negative through scepticism to the enthusiastically positive.
This event linked in nicely with ‘Manufacturing Reinvented- additive manufacture and the second industrial revolution’ held at the RCA on the 25th September.
The speakers came from a spectrum of backgrounds- engineering, design, biomimetics, cultural and ‘outside the box’ in the case of Max Comfort.
As the conference chair, designer Geoff Hollington put it when talking about Rapid manufacture- ‘if this is the next industrial revolution then we are at about the year 1800 in its development’.
In many respects the technology is sophisticated, though it is still at an early stage in its evolution and has a long way to go. Technical problems will be ironed out, 3D CAD software will improve and I foresee a place for digital craft where knowledge of materials and processes can be part of the creative digital process.
There are many C21st Luddites out there who fear the death of skill, but they are wrong. CAD/CAM, rapid manufacture and the other new technologies are additions to the creative industry’s toolbox. Letterpress isn’t extinct even though it’s a far more laborious process than typography on the computer. My eldest daughter Rowan, brought letterpress and digital typography together in work for her degree and the results were stunning.
For me, the creative process is about the communication of an idea and I will choose whichever tool in the toolbox is the most appropriate for its realisation.
Last Wednesday evening we drove to London to deliver my youngest daughter Grace to Middlesex University for the start of her first term as a fashion student. Once she was unloaded and settling in I caught the tube from Oakwood to South Kensington to drop some stuff off at College then checked back in with Ray & Jeannette in Chiswick.
On Friday it was off to 100% Design at Earls Court, a busy show, the most interesting parts for me being the Lighting and Futures sections. I came across Earlsmann, producers of Light-Tape electroluminescent film, which I think looks to be the perfect light source for my cone pieces. There was also a sample of film from Elumin8 whom I must also speak to. Earlsmann produce a wide range of colours and the wiring and fitting looks really simple.
I found the most stimulating shows over in East London; Designersblock in the beautifully decrepit Nicholls & Clarke building was a treasure house of boundary-crossing creativity. I took my daughter Grace there and she also loved it Tent was a younger, livelier show than 100% Design, with a good number of last years RCA Ceramics & Glass graduates showing.
Back in College I’ve been sorting out my new space, following up some of the leads I made at the various shows and generally preparing myself for a busy term.
Thursday 27 September 2007
Sunday 16 September 2007
14.09.07 -The Torus & the Möbius Strip
Some weeks ago I gave my friend Ivan Payne one of my thrown torus forms to experiment with. He’s an interesting person to discuss my project with as he completed his MA at the RCA last year. One of the brightest lateral thinkers that I’ve ever come across, something new always arises when we toss the ball back and forth. The end result of his unusually quiet investigation was a cut that spiralled up the inside of the torus and back down the outside connecting seamlessly to its starting point. In theory the torus had been bisected, but was very much still one complete form. Both the Torus and the Möbius strip are one-sided surfaces; if a Möbius strip is bisected lengthways it just doubles it’s circumference, which makes me think that the same thing was happening here. [What would have happened to the torus if it was made of flexible rubber?]
I went on to widen the cut & remove a 1cm wide strip of clay from the torus, producing an unsupported gap between the two ‘halves’. At that stage I found it impossible to work out whether the strip of clay was a Möbius strip.
From the workshop it was back to Rhino 3D on the computer in the hope that I could analyse and develop this phenomenon. At this stage I had the feeling that the link between the exploration of the torus was taking me back to the Möbius strip that played an important part in the genesis of this project.
After some additional instruction from the very helpful technicians at Simply Rhino I described the spiral line onto the surface of the torus. In the ceramic test piece I was trying to visualise what the strip of clay would look like if it could be removed in one piece from the torus. In Rhino it is possible to take and develop the line into a ‘solid’ ribbon form. A single spiral strip doesn’t have a strong visual link to the torus it evolved from, so I went on to produce a double spiral,then a quadruple spiral, the latter appearing like a skeleton of the torus.
In exploring and developing the torus form, the use of 3D modelling software has been invaluable. It has enabled me to visualize the evolution of the form, literally adding another dimension to the creative process. My attempts to throw the toruses has demonstrated that a great deal of skill is required to realise the different stages of development, There is absolutely nothing wrong in that, it is the age old process helping to produce high quality craft and art work. However, I have chosen to produce forms that conform to a particular set of proportions and so far my throwing skills don’t allow for a very precise reproduction. It’s partly due to the torus being an enclosed form, preventing me from gauging the thickness of the clay wall.
I went on to widen the cut & remove a 1cm wide strip of clay from the torus, producing an unsupported gap between the two ‘halves’. At that stage I found it impossible to work out whether the strip of clay was a Möbius strip.
From the workshop it was back to Rhino 3D on the computer in the hope that I could analyse and develop this phenomenon. At this stage I had the feeling that the link between the exploration of the torus was taking me back to the Möbius strip that played an important part in the genesis of this project.
After some additional instruction from the very helpful technicians at Simply Rhino I described the spiral line onto the surface of the torus. In the ceramic test piece I was trying to visualise what the strip of clay would look like if it could be removed in one piece from the torus. In Rhino it is possible to take and develop the line into a ‘solid’ ribbon form. A single spiral strip doesn’t have a strong visual link to the torus it evolved from, so I went on to produce a double spiral,then a quadruple spiral, the latter appearing like a skeleton of the torus.In exploring and developing the torus form, the use of 3D modelling software has been invaluable. It has enabled me to visualize the evolution of the form, literally adding another dimension to the creative process. My attempts to throw the toruses has demonstrated that a great deal of skill is required to realise the different stages of development, There is absolutely nothing wrong in that, it is the age old process helping to produce high quality craft and art work. However, I have chosen to produce forms that conform to a particular set of proportions and so far my throwing skills don’t allow for a very precise reproduction. It’s partly due to the torus being an enclosed form, preventing me from gauging the thickness of the clay wall.
Tuesday 11 September 2007
11.09.07 To glaze or not to glaze?
The past few weeks has been filled with making more figures for the interior designer, and making a few more toruses [should that be tori?]. I have tested various clays- glacier white porcelain, grogged porcelain, T material & Valentines GT material. All those tests are at the biscuit stage though I expect to high fire the porcelain ones tonight.
I have continued to attempt to throw a large torus and though attuning myself to the subtleties of the form it is still a deceptively difficult one to throw. Part of the problem is at the turning stage where excess clay from the bottom of the piece is trimmed. Being an enclosed form it is impossible to gauge the thickness of the clay wall, so there is a risk of removing too much and creating a weakness or even cutting right through. I try to guess the thickness from the weight of the piece, but that can be deceptive as the wall thickness may not be even!
The surface treatment has also been an area of experimentation. I have to make a careful choice as I wish to enhance the qualities of the form, not work against or diminish them. I used a black ‘chrome’ glaze on a couple of tests and am pleased with the results which make the piece appear less solid. The reflections are interesting, in the centre there is a reflection of a smaller version of itself, surrounded by a fisheye view of the backdrop, it’s quite captivating but makes photographing it very difficult.
I’m interested to know whether a translucent version could be produced in bone china or porcelain, they would need to be cast, but when I return to college it shouldn’t be too difficult to produce a mould.
I plan to return to London about a week or so before College starts so that I can attend a number of London Design Festival events. The first of which for me is the ‘Craft, Creativity & the Computer Controlled Age’ on the 17th September at the Royal Festival Hall. It will address questions such:
What role does new technology already play in the crafts world?
What do these new processes mean for the crafts and the individual craftsperson?
Can craft maintain its individuality if it embraces this technology? Are digital processes actually facilitating the survival of the 'handmade' in a world of mass production?
On my list of events I plan to visit are:
-Designersblock - Tenth London Anniversary Show
-Form Foundation presents Mode of Production
-Hue, Line & Form
-100% Design
-iconoclasm.jp/07
-Illumination- Making a Difference with Advanced Materials
-Launch of Materials Resource Centre
-Manufacturing Reinvented: additive manufacture and second industrial revolution
-Organicks
-Trans Forms
-Zaha Hadid
These are just a few of the events on offer, full details can be found on the London Design Festival website.
Obviously these are design-focused events, where I will be looking out for materials, responsive technology, lighting etc. However, I need to keep the core idea of the project at the forefront of my mind. The exploration of the ceramic container is the focus, the materials & tools are only the means by which I investigate & realise the work. The process must be underpinned by justification of all the decisions & choices I make, and I have to avoid using new materials or technology where they don’t have a place.
I have continued to attempt to throw a large torus and though attuning myself to the subtleties of the form it is still a deceptively difficult one to throw. Part of the problem is at the turning stage where excess clay from the bottom of the piece is trimmed. Being an enclosed form it is impossible to gauge the thickness of the clay wall, so there is a risk of removing too much and creating a weakness or even cutting right through. I try to guess the thickness from the weight of the piece, but that can be deceptive as the wall thickness may not be even!
The surface treatment has also been an area of experimentation. I have to make a careful choice as I wish to enhance the qualities of the form, not work against or diminish them. I used a black ‘chrome’ glaze on a couple of tests and am pleased with the results which make the piece appear less solid. The reflections are interesting, in the centre there is a reflection of a smaller version of itself, surrounded by a fisheye view of the backdrop, it’s quite captivating but makes photographing it very difficult.
I’m interested to know whether a translucent version could be produced in bone china or porcelain, they would need to be cast, but when I return to college it shouldn’t be too difficult to produce a mould.
I plan to return to London about a week or so before College starts so that I can attend a number of London Design Festival events. The first of which for me is the ‘Craft, Creativity & the Computer Controlled Age’ on the 17th September at the Royal Festival Hall. It will address questions such:
What role does new technology already play in the crafts world?
What do these new processes mean for the crafts and the individual craftsperson?
Can craft maintain its individuality if it embraces this technology? Are digital processes actually facilitating the survival of the 'handmade' in a world of mass production?
On my list of events I plan to visit are:
-Designersblock - Tenth London Anniversary Show
-Form Foundation presents Mode of Production
-Hue, Line & Form
-100% Design
-iconoclasm.jp/07
-Illumination- Making a Difference with Advanced Materials
-Launch of Materials Resource Centre
-Manufacturing Reinvented: additive manufacture and second industrial revolution
-Organicks
-Trans Forms
-Zaha Hadid
These are just a few of the events on offer, full details can be found on the London Design Festival website.
Obviously these are design-focused events, where I will be looking out for materials, responsive technology, lighting etc. However, I need to keep the core idea of the project at the forefront of my mind. The exploration of the ceramic container is the focus, the materials & tools are only the means by which I investigate & realise the work. The process must be underpinned by justification of all the decisions & choices I make, and I have to avoid using new materials or technology where they don’t have a place.
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