Bridging the Gap

This is a new version of my first digital piece, which I created as my final piece at the Royal College of Art back in 2008.

It is a small step forward, as the making of this piece combines the 3000+ year old process of lost wax casting and 'post-industrial' manufacturing.

Over the past couple of years, I have been keen to explore hybrid making techniques as I think there is enormous creative potential in bringing together 'traditional' and 'new' ways of making.

This way of approaching the creation of an artwork also helps to challenge the notion that these making techniques are mutually incompatible.

So I hope that this small Wedgwoodn't Tureen helps to bridge the gap.

Ceramic 3D printing tests 02 - Why?

14.06.13

note the deformation.

The printing of the Potclays powder was a repeat of the red clay tests. 1:1:2, 1:1:3 and 1:1:4 mixtures were all successfully printed. 

It's important to leave the prints in the printer for 2 hours at the very least before removing them. Even after 2 hours some were a little soft and started to bend. Better to leave prints overnight, particularly if more complex parts are being printed.

All the test bars were left to dry on top of a warm kiln overnight and this morning the excess powder was removed in the depowdering unit and the 950°C firing started.

The kiln was still around 100°C from a previous firing, but I decided to take it up slowly - 7 hours to 600°C, then 2 hours to 950°C with a 30 minute soak.

Even though we are awaiting the results of the firings, it seems a good opportunity to print a more complex form. My instinct tells me that that the 1:1:2 mixture will shrink a great deal and probably be the weakest, so I'm inclined to try the 1:1:3 powder. We will see... 

60mm test cube

First of all I quickly created a cube with a sphere removed from the interior. This gives us a simple shape, probably impossible to slipcast that has a surface that just about covers every angle. So it makes a good glaze test, as well as testing the rigidity of the ceramic powder.

I actually set 3 versions printing, one as designed, the other two scaled one dimensionally to allow for possible deformation in the drying and firing.

  

80, 70, 60 mm test cubes

It's important to remember that this is not simply a technical exercise. If successful, there may be all sorts of potential uses for ceramic 3D printing, certainly medical being one of them. But that is not my prime motivation. Rather selfishly I suppose, I hope to be able to print my artworks in ceramics thereby combining my previous experience as a maker of slip-decorated earthenware, my understanding of the 3-dimensional form and my interest in the act of making with this new, so-called post-industrial technology. So it's all about research, not technical research, though that can't be avoided, but research that engages with our fundamental relationship with objects and the making of them.
I feel it is timely to look at this area, not just because we have new tools, but because our increasing reliance on 2-dimensional screens to engage with the physical world has the potential to detach us from the sensory experience and feedback we receive when we take the trouble to venture outdoors, smell those flowers in the garden, pick up that smooth stone or spot the woodpecker calling from a tree. You probably think I'm just being romantic, after all I'm one of the generation that bridges the digital divide, but when I hear about the exciting advances in augmented reality, where it will be possible to surround ourselves with virtual objects, rather than actual, physical stuff then surely it's time to question the very nature of our relationship with objects.
WIll we need to buy another pot or painting to decorate our homes when we will be able to simply download a holographic Ming vase?

Anyhow, I'll just leave that hanging in the air...

Leap Motion

Alongside my exploration of 3D printing I am also interested in the software that we engage with to create the virtual artworks. Standard CAD packages were designed for engineers and more recently, animators. As I am neither of these, I find that the software has its limitations. Though there are a number of applications, such as Sculptris and Forger (available for iPad and iPhone) that involve intuitive manipulation of clay-like primitive solids, they go too far in the other direction. I need something that bridges the space in between, in other words a CAD package where I can generate controlled and accurate curves and convert them into 3 dimensional forms and then work intuitively, stretching, pulling, pushing, adding and subtracting in the same way as I do with clay. If anyone reads my ramblings they may reply to say that they already exist in packages such as Freeform, but have you seen the price? And I’m not sure whether it’s possible to import precise forms and then manipulate them. So, I stay with Rhino3D, as it’s what I have used for the past 7 years and works well within its parameters. 

 And then along comes the Leap Motion, a small USB device that according to the manufacturers promises:

 “With a wave of a hand or lift of a finger, you’re about to change the way you use your computer. The Leap Motion Controller senses how you move your hands, the way you move them naturally. So you can point, wave, reach, and grab. Even pick something up and put it down. Just like in real life. It’s an amazing device for the things you do every day and for things you never thought you could do.” 

 I immediately signed up for a pre-order and then applied to receive one as a developer. I figured that someone here would have coding skills beyond my HTML. I gave it to Lewis Sykes, a PhD candidate here at MIRIAD, who passed it on to Ben Lycett, our new coder in residence. And within what seemed like hours, he had started to create a 3D application where the hand can draw a line in space that can be revolved to form a 3D surface. 

 There’s much more to be done and there’s a large community working on Leap Motion apps for all sorts of uses out there, so maybe my wish for an intuitive, but controllable CAD package is a little closer. 

 We will see, I'll report again as we make progress...

Where do I go from here?

-->

April and May have been busy, a pretty hectic combination of work and play. 

It started with a trip to Oslo National Academy of the Arts, where I was invited to give a lecture about my practice. It was also an opportunity to meet the staff in both the Ceramics department and in the 3D printing facility. The facilities are extremely impressive, all housed in a beautiful 19th century sail factory complex.

I am planning to return for a longer period in order to experiment with their ZCorp 310 that they have just started to use with ceramic powders. The plan is to create a network of 3D printer practitioners exploring the theme of ceramics, culminating in an event in the autumn of 2014.

A few days after my return to the UK, I set off for a holiday in France with my wife Vicky, our friend Jan and my bike. The trip by train to Montelimar was excellent, though carrying my road bike in a bag wasn't that easy. Whilst there I cycled from the Drôme, through the Gorge de L'Ardeche, down into Languedoc to see friends, then up through the Cevennes to be reunited with Vicky and Jan in Ispagnac, a beautiful village at the entrance to the Gorge du Tarn.

I had to cut the holiday short in order to return to London for Collect, held again at the Saatchi Gallery, where I was showing some new pieces with Adrian Sassoon. The show was definitely up to it's usual standard, and I was lucky to have the Prtlnd Vase purchased by the Art Fund for the New Walk Gallery in Leicester. The curators plan to open a digital gallery and had researched my work and in particular the Prtlnd Vase for their presentation to the Art Fund.

Whilst at Collect, I took part in the first ‘Fielding Talk: Lives in Craft, launched in memory of Amanda Fielding, the writer and curator who died in 2012. This event, …celebrates Fielding’s passion and knowledge for the sector through the voices and experiences of the most exciting and innovative makers in contemporary craft.’ Glenn Adamson from the V&A chaired it with Clare Twomey and myself in discussion around the theme of the relationship between makers and curators. The acquisition and positioning of ‘digital craft’ has been problematic for curators as there was uncertainty as to the placing of the work. Fortunately for my contemporaries and I, there now appears to be a confidence and keen interest in our work, though the interpretation of challenging pieces can still be problematic for the curators.

Back in Manchester, I have been continuing to explore the Mcor Matrix 300 printer that 'prints' in layers of paper. It has been a temperamental machine, but a technician’s recent visit appears to have made it operate more smoothly. I set it off this morning to print the first of 4 pieces to be used as moulds for the making of ceramic sprigs for a version of the Prtlnd Vase. The body of the vase was printed in 4 sections by Mcor, as our machine failed to build them. I plan to have a mould produced and if talks with Wedgwood succeed, I will slipcast it in traditional Jasperware.

-->

And this leads to the question I pose in the title of this piece, “Where do I go from here?’ The reason I ask this question is that I am going through a period of reflection about my work. Over the past 7 years I have produced a body of work that has investigated 3D printing through the interpretation and re-design of familiar objects such as Wedgwood and Sèvres ceramics, appropriating their cultural significance to make comments about craft, values and the virtual world that we increasingly inhabit.

As I have always said, I don’t want to use the technology for its own sake, there has to be an idea that underpins its use. I am now at the stage where I feel I need to go further, in terms of material and process. The aim has been and still is to produce ceramic 3D printed artworks, combining my previous experience and knowledge of ceramics history with ‘post-industrial’ manufacturing. But this is where Glenn Adamson steps in.

-->In his new book, ‘The Invention of Craft’ he states that “…new forms of practice will inevitably be forged through the synthesis of the analogue and the digital…”[1]

The Mcor Matrix printer alerted me to the journey the data travels between the computer software and the printed artwork. The only difference between the data used to produce the paper prints of the Prtlnd vase and the SLS version, is scale. However, unlike the SLS original the faceted sides look as though they have been made from folded paper. Something has happened in the process that gives the object a softer, ‘crafted’ look. So this version will not only refer to the relationship between actual and the virtual from the standpoint of our increasing engagement of the real world through a screen, but also record the material process.

The other thought-provoking piece of writing comes from Justin McGuirk in the Collect 2013 catalogue. He is talking about craft ‘fetishism’ and the difference between being seduced by electronic gizmos and crafted objects. “The philosopher Bruno Latour might argue that we are once again seduced by the ‘thingness’ of things. In his essay ‘Why has critique run out of steam’ he extrapolates Martin Heidegger’s distinction between objects and things. He writes ‘The hand-made jug can be a thing, while the industrially made can of Coke remains an object. While the latter is abandoned to the empty mastery of science and technology, only the former, cradled in the respected idiom of art, craftsmanship and poetry, could deploy its rich set of connotations.’ So we have a distinction here between the mute machine-made object and the poetic hand-made thing. Does this distinction help us?”[2]

And where does it place my work?

Do I fall between the 2 stools? And is this why I feel I need to bring a physical, tactile connection back into my work?

I shouldn’t care what the Adamsons and McGuirks think, as I am a maker not a critical historian, writer or philosopher, but even before my days at the RCA I have attempted to justify my output. It’s part of my methodology and one that sometimes weighs heavy.

---

[1] Glenn Adamson, The Invention of Craft (London: Bloomsbury, 2013) p.166

[2] Justin McGuirk, Fashion, Fetish and Craft, (Crafts Council 2013) pp.19, 20

Is Design just about rearranging the Cushions...?

Heading north in the Quiet Zone of the 18.30 out of London Euston is an ideal setting for reflecting on the days activities. I was on my way back to Kendal after attending the British Design Summer Reception at the House of Lords. 

Organised by the Associate Parliamentary Design and Innovation Group, it brought together many leading and influential designers, along with MPs, members of the Lords, journalists and representatives from the various organisations that sponsored the tables. Being on the Crafts Council table, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself seated between Tristram Hunt, MP for Stoke-on-Trent and Michelle Ogundehin, editor of Elle Decoration. 

Speeches by both Sir John Sorrell and Lord Bichard championed British design, and stressed the need for a strong united voice to convince Parliament that design is more than just making things look pretty, but something that should be at the core of business thinking. 

Apparently the Financial sector spent £92 million lobbying the government last year and that has appeared to have paid off. Design doesn’t have that sort of money, so we are going to have to use some of our creative thinking if we want to be heard. 

However, it seems to me that 'design' is one of those shape shifting words with a different definition according to the context in which it is used. 

My definition is something along the lines of 'the creative application of materials and/or processes.' That's probably over simplistic, but to make an impact surely that's the sort of definition required, as it not only covers making stuff, but can be applied to systems and services.     

And it's inclusive, so the Crafts Council shouldn't feel left out. 

OK, so we can dress that up with great examples, lots of lovely images, but what are we asking for? 

For me it would be some joined up thinking in government, where the Chancellor of the Exchequer doesn't stand at the dispatch box going on about how he “want(s) the words: Made in Britain, Created in Britain, Designed in Britain, Invented in Britain to drive our nation forward. A Britain carried aloft by the march of the makers" to be the battle cry that will save the economy, when down the road Education are undermining or should that be destroying Design and Technology in schools.  Where do they think the next generation of makers and creative thinkers are going to come from?

And I would also ask that there should be far more support for research that brings together art and science. There are so many great examples where collaboration has benefitted both camps.  

Vince Cable has been busy with his Made by Britain and Make it in Great Britain campaigns, with an exhibition starting in London’s Science Museum on the 24th of July. But as Michelle Ogundehin points out in her blog, why doesn’t the government recognize the central role that design plays in the success of companies like Apple, Dyson etc etc? And ‘why is it taking government so long to catch on when the UK’s design sector could be such a spur to economic growth?’

A poorly advertised exhibition in the Science Museum is not enough, what we need is a new Festival of Britain, an event that will clearly demonstrate the wealth of great design that we have in the UK, demonstrate how companies will benefit by embedding design thinking into their core activities, demonstrate to parents that Art and Design are relevant subjects for their children to choose at school and if the government would put some money into apprenticeships, give some disaffected young people a place in society. (That last bit might be going too far, but we can dream…)

The Midwife and the Gravedigger

Having spent a few more days thinking about the Craft Matters campaign the more strongly I feel that the Crafts Council should encourage a more inclusive definition of craft and its place in society.
As I said before, Craft is not just concerned with exquisite, hand made, bespoke objects. Though there is a need and place for work of that type in society, if craft is to matter when it comes to its recognition, promotion and support by governments, the public needs to know how craft affects them in almost every area of life.
As Glenn Adamson says, "Craft only exists in motion. It is a way of doing things, not a classification of objects, institutions or people"*
As such, both the midwife and the person that buries you are craft experts, they have developed the tacit knowledge and skills necessary to safely bring you into this world and to leave it with dignity. At every stage in between craft shapes our lives, it is what differentiates us from the other species on this planet. Craft has even helped to shape our bodies, both in an evolutionary sense and in the way our bodies are affected by physical activity.
In getting this message across a recent Radio 4, Point of View programme could be very helpful. It was the last of a series by Professor Lisa Jardine who used the example of crystallographer, Dorothy Hodgkin to demonstrate how science and the arts can both benefit through collaboration. Lisa jardine referred to a letter to the Observer signed by many eminent thinkers who are concerned that future government spending cuts will sacrifice the arts in favour of the sciences, a policy that appears extremely short-sighted.


Adamson, G. Thinking through Craft. Berg 2007, p4.

14.12.07 - End of term juggling

Last weekend was spent finishing off the design presentation for my RSA Design Directions, Ceramic Futures competition entry, the deadline for which is today.
I decided to document the project as a blog, reflecting the fact that the project use digital technology [rapid prototyping] and unconventional ceramic materials.
After returning to College on Tuesday, I went up to RapidformRCA to check on the progress of the build. A test piece had come through but was extremely fragile; one handle had broken, but the piece looked amazing. The next stage was for Alastair, the technician who has been assisting me on this project to strengthen the weak points in the FreeForm software and then have another go at building the piece on the Z Corp RP machine.
Meanwhile, I was also busy chasing the Ideal Standard slip that I’m planning to use to cast my torus form.

On Wednesday I had a tutorial with Martin Smith, primarily to discuss the section of the thesis on Perception that I recently wrote. Comments were positive, with some suggestions about topics that I need to develop or add.
He also said that I should work out what practical work is to be produced for the examination. I mistakenly thought that I had longer to produce those. So the pressure is on.

Over the Christmas period I need to start writing the Context section of the thesis, looking at artists who are exploring similar themes. Most of the work that resonates with me is non-ceramic, which Martin thinks is a problem as the project is rooted in the ceramic medium. I’m not sure how to deal with his own work and need to look more closely at whether should be a candidate for inclusion.

The rest of the week was spent organising my trip to Paris next Wednesday, and liaising with Michel, who is coming over from Paris on Tuesday to bring the equipment that RapidformRCA have ordered and to work on my piece. I have been anxious that the Wedgwoddn’t piece might not be ready in time and couldn’t keep hassling Alastair, as he has plenty of other tasks to be getting on with in the College.

Thursday evening was the department Christmas party, which apparently lived up to its long held reputation; so much that College insisted that we have a security guard!
I thought things would be quiet when I arrived in College on Friday morning but the place was awash with water, plumbers and cleaners. The radiator in the technicians room had burst at 4.00am flooding the glass workshops, clay store, corridor and research area with steaming black water. I helped to get the place straight and 90 minutes later it didn’t look so bad. However, the real damage had been done down below in the research offices.

The rest of Friday was spent trying not to check on Alastair and start thinking about the work I need to produce.

Week ending 18.05.07 -The Centrality of Clay

Monday:
Teaching at CIA in Carlisle.

Tuesday:
Back to the RCA and upstairs for a chat with Tomek Rygalik, an ex-RCA product designer, who seems to be based in college, partly engaged in his own practice partly as a researcher. We discussed vacuum forming specifically & materials generally. He has offered to take me through vacuum forming next Friday, when he returns from his trip to New York. Meanwhile I set about producing the mould of the outside cone.

Wednesday:
Finished the cone mould.
Our Taiwanese artist friend, Chun Chao sent me some titles from his PhD bibliography that he thought might be relevant to my project. One particular recommendation – The Art of Light + Space was in stock in the library and looks very interesting.

Thursday:
Took the small cone mould down to the large vacuum forming machine in the basement. The third attempt was successful, but doesn’t bear close inspection as the styrene is of uneven thickness. My first impression is that it will appear insubstantial, though with the inclusion of a light source this could be an advantage.

Friday:
Made another attempt to put together the ceramic cone, but the thickness of the clay walls is preventing the pieces from fitting. I then took a ‘cast’ of the inner cones, which after firing will be about 10% smaller and from which I can make new moulds.
The process is slow & frustrating, however it’s partly due to learning new techniques and partly that practical works takes longer in the college than in the workshop at home.
Continued to muse about the centrality of clay to my project on the evening train journey home. It's usually a good opportunity to write without too many distractions.
My thoughts about the use of clay are still not fully resolved, but are being aired in the Centrality of Clay essay in the Writing section of the website.

Week ending 11.05.07

Monday:
It was the May Day Bank Holiday here in the UK, so no teaching at Carlisle. Instead, continued with written work for College and spent some enjoyable time with my family.

Tuesday:
Busy train journey back to College, then straight into the plaster shop for the afternoon to complete the outer cone mould











I was a little concerned that it would be difficult to remove the inner clay & wood model, but it came out surprisingly easily.
They are all now drying in the heated cabinet, hopefuly I'l be able to start using them tomorrow.
Made a semi-matt cream glaze which I'm managing to test fire later today. I'm looking for a neutral, non ceramic surface treatment, this may be the answer.
In an effort to compare materials and techniques I have emailed Corian© looking for contacts & information about thermoforming and including LED into the surface of my pieces.

Friday:
Started the day by rolling out a slab to wrap around the small inner cone as the clay applied to it yesterday stuck very firmly to the surface.
I had to break off to have a tutorial with Jonathan Miles in the Humanities Department. He had been recommended as someone to discuss perception with, and after describing the aims of my project he gave me a brief history of philosophy of perception since Descartes!
The most relevant thing we discussed was the ‘autonomous object’. Jonathan Miles defined it as an object that can speculate on its own condition, rather than being a comment or statement. I find this relevant to my questioning of the centrality of ceramics to the project. But how does an object become autonomous? Surely any contrived object is autobiographical whether it is functional or sculpture? I can imagine a series of objects collectively being ‘autonomous’, each being part of an act of speculation.
I must ask Jonathan Miles for specific texts that discuss this notion.
His general suggestions were:
HIEDEGGER: ‘Being and Time’ and the essays ‘The Question of Technology’ & ‘The Thing’.
ROSALIND KRAUSS: ‘Sculpture and the Extended Field’
MERLAU—PONTY: suggested first reading a commentary or Aesthetic reader. ‘Eye of the Mind’ and ‘Cezanne’s Doubt’.

I came away from the tutorial aware that I have 20+ years of ingrained thinking habits which must be questioned in order for me to truly engage with this project.

My feeling is that my past practice as a functional potter led me to this point and the ceramic container should remain the core of the project. If I abandon the ceramic element I am then moving into territory that I have little knowledge or experience of. However, my investigation of the digital has brought me into contact with making techniques and materials that could well be part of the future of ceramics. This is one of the reasons for undertaking this project and could be part of my post-RCA life.


The rest of the day was spent wrestling with the moulds. I tried to fit the smaller end cone into the outer cone and though I had carefully worked out the dimensions, the thickness of the clay walls was a problem that made assembly impossible. So my plans to have assembled a piece by this evening went completely out of the window. I will have to make scaled down versions of the inner cones by taking and firing clay ‘casts’ from which new moulds can be made. In theory this should work, but I won’t have a fired piece in time for my interim examination on the 24th.

Week ending 04.05.07

Monday:
Teaching at CIA- started with tutorials, focusing on the development of ideas. In the afternoon gave a 2-hour Rhino 3D introductory demonstration. It was a hands on session, which I think went quite well.

Tuesday:
Back at the RCA to a busy week making the moulds for press-moulding and looking into rapid prototyping a model to produce a vacuum forming mould from. First of all I had to explore whether the cone pieces use true cones. Martin suspected they aren’t so I spent a few hours on the train & in the afternoon testing whether it’s possible to bring 2 truncated cones together with an even 2cm gap separating their ‘sharp’ ends. In the end I came to the conclusion that it’s not possible, the centre must be started from 2 circles, each lofted to the outer ends of the cones, then those lofted to each other.

Wednesday:
Started the day with a meeting with Nick Grace up in Rapidform. They are under pressure installing new machines and helping 2nd years prepare work for their final shows. Still, he gave me time to discuss preparing a Rhino model for production on the ZCorp machine. The cost is huge – 25p/cc doesn’t sound much but when my model is 1.34 litres we’re looking at £300! However, my models need scaling down to fit within the 250X200X200 bed size. So that will bring about a reduction in cost. Meanwhile, I returned to the analogue!

I had some plywood discs cut, based on Cone 6 dimensions. Angled lengths of 2X2 connected them. The space between the discs was then filled with clay.

Thursday:
Woke early so was in college by 8.00am. Continued with the moulds
< These are the inner cone moulds over which I'll form the clay.








This is the outer cone made on Friday, with an extra disc on top. This one is to have the plaster applied directly onto the surface, building it out in line with the discs. When the former is removed & the plaster is dry, it can be used as a press mould for the outer cone.


At lunchtime we had another of our research cluster get togethers. They are an opportunity for one of us to discuss an aspect of their project. I set up the first meeting to help me define the core of my project. The perspective of my fellow students is extremely helpful, though our projects are quite different to each others, we have enough overlaps and shared interests to make our group very supportive.
Today, I had invited Alison Britton to discuss her new work on show at Barrett Marsden Gallery.
At the opening night Alison used phrases like "taking risks", "loosening up" and "relaxing", and it was these aspects of moving towards a new body that I thought were relevant to some of us. One of the most interesting parts was her description of how a piece of work can initiallly be inspired by a theme, such as a place, a piece of writing, personal views and that it may loose it's link to it's original starting point as the piece progresses. The title always comes last and generally doesn't have a relationship with the original theme.
The question I would like to ask Alison is "How does a viewer then interpret the piece? What are the criteria and how much are we expected to understand of the context in which the the work is made?" These may seem like naive questions, but for me that are worth pursuing.

Friday:
I was in two minds about staying in London this coming wekend to complete my moulds and visit some galleries. However, my eldest daughter, Rowan wil be home from Manchester, the garden and the surrounding countryside are so beautiful at this particular time of year and the fact that I can have some time to relax has made it an easy decision to go for the 18.45 train north. I'll also be able to prepare the written parts for the interim examination scheduled for the 24th.

From the backdoor, looking across the side garden towards the woods

Week ending 27.04.07

Monday
2nd session at CIA, in the afternoon had a demo of SolidWorks 3D modelling software. Pretty refined in comparison to Rhino, but costs a lot more.

Tuesday
Back to the RCA and started to prepare the fired cone pieces for Thursday’s tutorial. The firing cracks were filled with Plastic Padding, sanded smooth then taken upstairs to be sprayed with cellulose paint. The finish is not bad, 2 are a satin white and one is black.

Wednesday
I had forgotten that I had signed up for a FuelRCA presentation skills day focusing on ‘meeting the client’. The day was of limited use as we were guinea pigs; generally I think my day could have been better spent. The mind map exercise was the most valuable as my partner thought that ‘research’ is the core of my practice, not ‘ceramics’ as it seemed to initially suggest. This has a bearing on how I prepare for my post-RCA life.
After this I continued to finish my cone pieces then assembled the LED’s & installed them successfully in one of the cones. They illuminate the piece with a blue glowing light, no colour or intensity changes as yet.

Thursday
The tutorial with Martin was very productive. I showed him the cone pieces; they are less successful than the cone 05 test piece in terms of the illusion created. However, they have served their purpose in demonstrating that LED lighting is worth pursuing, but mostly that throwing and assembly is definitely not a suitable technique for these pieces. The chance of cracking is high, grogged clay is difficult to smooth and though my throwing skills are pretty good it’s still difficult to produce a cone with a perfectly straight profile. Martin brought up the choice of making technique and exploration of alternative materials. It was decided that a model should be made that could be used to produce a mould for press moulding and for vacuum forming. This is exactly what I was hoping to hear as I have questioned the need for this work to be made of clay. I wish to remove all traces of the hand and any connotations with studio ceramics.
I also showed Martin the new website, which he thinks will make a valuable contribution to the interim examination coming up in May.
After the tutorial Martin, Alison and I discussed the last two research applications, one was rejected, one accepted, which should be interesting as his project is almost a glass version of mine. It looks like the ‘research cluster’ is going to increase to 7.

Friday
Bit of a frustrating day as I hoped to start on making the rest of the moulds for the cube glass cast first thing in the morning, but couldn’t find any clay! It brings it home that I must prepare in advance, it’s not like the workshop at home where everything is under my control. I did complete one more, but had hoped to make the remaining three.
I popped upstairs to the Darwin workshops to learn about vacuum forming where the French technician Fred was pretty negative. I need to find others to ask, maybe visit a specialist company.
Stephan came to give me some advice about producing a model for press moulding; it should be straightforward but will need to be planned carefully. I continued to produce a Rhino model that can be used then went to see Martin Watmough in RapidForm to talk about Rapid prototyping a model. He thinks it will be possible on the ZCorp machine, but is likely to cost over £200. I’m meeting Nick Grace up there on Wednesday to discuss the details. The advantage is that the model would be absolutely accurate and could be used to produce a model for vacuum forming. Martin also told me about a powerful new laser cutter that’s been installed recently. Apparently it’s capable of cutting much heavier duty material, so I will need to check it out to find whether I can use it to produce a strong accurate model.

Week ending 20.04.07

Monday-
Teaching my first session of a new ceramics project at Cumbria Institute of the Arts.

Tuesday-
Back to London, the focus of this week is to finish my test pieces in preparation for next week’s tutorial with Martin Smith. I have four cone pieces to fire, one of which cracked during drying, highlighting the hazardous complexity of traditional making techniques on forms where internal access is impossible. I have discussed attempting to press mould a similar cube form, however I suspect that will not overcome the technical difficulties. Slip casting and the post-firing assembly of parts are some of the other ceramic techniques to consider, before investigating alternative materials and RM.
I sprayed both the biscuit fired and dry pieces with a white Hyplas 71 ball clay terra sigillata slip and a leftover demo piece I made at Ceramic Art London with a black terra sigillata made from our standard black slip recipe.

Wednesday-
Packed the kiln and started the firing.

Thursday-
Unpacked the kiln in the afternoon. Mixed results- the black slip worked very well, but I suspected it would do because of the sheen it developed on application. The white slip is smooth, but very little sheen, it doesn’t look any different from before the firing.
The packet of LED’s, controllers, and transformer arrived from my brother in Austria. I now have the means to put together a simple circuit to produce either white or coloured lights and with further experimentation [and assistance] I should be able to incorporate a proximity sensor to control effects.
In the evening there was an excellent presentation on biomimetics by MADE [the Material And Design Exchange]. The first part was by Julian George, a material scientist from Imperial College looking into producing synthetic bone structures. He showed examples of biomimetic developments from spider’s webs, lotus flowers etc. Geoff Hollington, a product designer and member of MADE talked about how biomimetics may impact on our lives in the future. Materials that will react in the same way as our senses allow us to are in development and will be part of the not too distant future.

Friday-
I started to prepare a mould for casting cube 4 in glass. The form was designed on Rhino; I then produced Illustrator files of all its surfaces. These were printed onto adhesive vinyl by plotter/cutter, stuck onto 5mm foamboard and cut out with a craft knife. The internal corners needed to be mitred before assembly. Once assembled, they were used as a model from which to take a plaster/quartz cast.
At lunchtime the research cluster met at Heike’s request to discuss her project. It is always a fruitful experience, the similarities and differences of our projects allowing some fresh perspectives and new information to follow up. For instance, Heike showed a photograph of a piece of glass by Richard Whitely which looks very similar to part of cube 4!

Saturday-
Catching up with things at home- domestic duties, mowing the lawn, checking seedlings etc. All a healthy contrast to London, allowing me some important time to reflect on the week.

Sunday-
The rain has returned after 3 or 4 weeks of gorgeous weather, however I’m packing some of the figures that I made during Easter. My youngest daughter, Grace has an interview at Midddlesex University on Tuesday for a place on the Fashion & Textiles course and Vicky is helping her to complete a Yamamoto top. The pattern was downloaded from the Showstudio website with very few instructions, so assembly has been a challenge. She is really keen to get a place, however students are asked to leave their portfolios, and after inspection some of the applicants are invited to interview. She’ll be pretty devastated if she doesn’t get an interview, as that is where she will excel.

introduction

As you may have gathered from other parts of the site, I am an M.Phil research student in the Ceramics and Glass department of the Royal College of Art in London.

I generally travel weekly from my home & family in Cumbria, usually spending Tuesday to Friday in London and the weekend at home.

March 2007

At Metropolitan Works there have been a series of talks in conjunction with the Digital Explorers II show. The talk by Fluidforms was of interest for their use of Open Source software in their microprocessor circuits. Also see www.processing.org. It may be more accessible than the Picaxe microprocessor which I'm trying to link to a proximity sensor and LED lighting.


14.03.07
Bumped into David Watkins, head of G,S,M & J whilst he was havng a cigarette outside the back door of the RCA. He mentioned a Ph.D student called Moi Fusachal from 99 who had experimented with interactive light in body adornment. Also saw Martin Watmough from RapidformRCA telling me about some new 'blob' software, I must investigate!
Met up with Martin Smith, Alison Britton & Liz Aylieff to discuss new research student applications, then interviewed June Kingsbury. I find the whole process quite fascinating and it certainly puts my own application into a new light!


15.03.07
A lovely early spring morning got me into college by 8.00a.m.I spent a quiet hour finishing the turnng and assembly of my second ceramic test piece. Though simple in appearance, they are complex to assemble. One is slowly drying; this morning's is wrapped in plastic letting the moisture in the 3 parts slowly even out before being unwrapped in a couple of days time.The rest of the day has been spent going through all my Research Methods course notes and transferring the relevant info onto the computer. I've also got to grips with del.icio.us bookmarking so follow the link in the recommended sites page.

If you can recommend anything relevant to my studies please let me know.