21.12.07 - Still juggling!

I returned to college on Monday this week as Michel from the French company was arriving at 8.00am on Tuesday morning. He came over to bring some equipment and materials and to demonstrate the infiltration process.
Alastair had completed a second tureen base, so I now had one set, plus a tureen with thin handles. The equipment was set up in the cold glass workshop, first experimenting on some test pieces of tureen. By the end of the day all was infiltrated, cured with the UV lamp and dried in the oven, or so I thought.
I carefully packed the two pieces and took them to Paris by Eurostar the following day. When Michel inspected the pieces he thought that they should have been cured and dried in the oven for longer. There were tell-tale blotchy patches which show the uneven curing. Michel had made a second lid for me, so in theory I have two tureens.
The day in Paris was spent making some tests for the black ceramic topcoat. Michel also proposed to make another tureen on their Z Corp machine using 131 powder as it is stronger than the 130 that College uses. It was decided to produce it in black to make the application of the topcoat far easier.
The following day I brought the test samples into College and compared them to a Wedgwood artists proof of an Eduardo Paolozzi Newton sculpture that is in the office. Surprisingly the colour that I thought would be the closest was far too dark, an iron oxide stain being far closer. I photographed the samples against the sculpture and emailed them to Gilles who planned to make up the colour in the lab and send me the results over Christmas.
The next stage will be to return to Paris to collect the pieces some time in January.

Meanwhile, I also had to think about the main project - the M.Phil. Whilst I was in Paris the slip from Ideal Standard arrived, so on Thursday I set up a frame on which to place the mould for casting. The mould is large and heavy, heavier still when full of slip, so I need to be able to turn it over for emptying without the need to lift. The system works well, but the first cast imploded as part of the cast stuck to the mould when I was separating the two halves. The first cast is normally scrapped as it cleans the surface of the mould, for the second cast on Friday I decide to cast the piece slightly thinner, leave it in the mould to dry for longer and to lift off the other side of the mould which may be less likely to stick. As I write this the cast is still in the mould.

It's now 3.00 pm and the cast has been successfully removed from the mould. It looks OK and I'm optimistic about taking further casts as they should come out more easily.

Happy Christmas.

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.

07.12.07 - Ceramic Futures & the Future of Ceramics

The RSA project has been the focus this week, though on Monday I drove through very heavy rain to the Ideal Standard factory at Middlewich. The containers had arrived so we filled 6 of them. I hadn’t realised that they would be so heavy, but the slip is 1.9 kilos per litre so one container weighs about 40 kilos.

On Tuesday I arrived at College to Tavs Jorgensen enthusing about the lid of my Wedgwoodnt tureen. I rushed upstairs to Rapidform feeling like Christmas had arrived early! The lid, had turned out really well, far more beautiful than I expected. Alastair was finishing the preparation of the base section on Freeform software though his time is spent juggling other projects as well.

On Tuesday afternoon I had a meeting with Jeremy Myerson in Innovation for advice on the questions that should be asked at Wednesday’s meeting with the French company. He gave me a list of very practical points to clarify. I also asked about how Research Associate positions operate within the College. He mentioned Innovation Fellowships where sponsorship comes from various sources for the project. In this case there would be the French, possibly someone from within the industry here, made {DTI] and possibly the London Design Festival. I need the backing of the Ceramics & Glass department as the project would be based there and there may be some cost implications. Martin is interested in the materials, but needs to know more before committing himself.

Wednesday’s meeting with the French company to arrange collaboration went very well. Both parties are enthusiastic about working together. There will have to be a non-disclosure agreement between College and the company as some of the materials are still in development and haven’t been patented yet. This may need to be mutual in case the RCA develop new applications or products.

Martin Watmough from Rapidform kindly invited me to a meeting with Robin Levien and his team on Friday. They were over at College to discuss Rapid Manufacture, Martin giving them a tour and talking them through the various systems. It was a great opportunity for me to talk about the French ceramic materials and their potential. There was a bit of a disagreement about just how revolutionary they are and whether they are truly ceramic, according to the definition of ceramic [made of clay and irreversibly hardened by heat]. That seemed to pass and when I mentioned my interest in an Innovation Fellowship he offered to be the Industrial partner. For me, that is a very important part of the jigsaw.

In the afternoon, Grace came down from Middlesex University and after having a look round the C & G Work in Progress show we went over to the Serpentine Gallery where there is a stunning show of light installations by Anthony McCall. They are computer programmed moving images of lines and wave patterns projected through smoke. The effect is mesmerising, the light appears as gossamer thin material that you can walk through and engage with. Each viewpoint gives a different perspective, looking from within a shape is quite different from observing from outside. We were both stunned by the magic and beauty of the art. I need to go again, now that I know what to expect and be more analytical. Maybe the exhibition would make a good topic for a research seminar meeting.

30.11.07

It was another busy week of juggling my main project and the RSA Ceramic Futures entry.

In addition the Ceramics and Glass department is holding the Work in Progress show. Tensions mounted at one point, but the show looks great, the bonus this year being the inclusion of the First Years. They have completed one 7-week project and the results are very accomplished.
I was disappointed with the last couple of kiln firings; the black glaze is too thin, uneven or blistered. At home things haven’t been any better as most of the work has cracked!

The RSA entry has taken quite a few hours work, partly refining the design to help Alastair in RapidformRCA to be able to apply the texture. I had been thinking about how to submit the design work to the RSA, the guidelines suggest sketchbook, mounting work on A3 board etc. but that doesn’t appeal. The project is all about the application of new technology and innovative materials, so I wanted to reflect this approach in the supporting material. I have decided to present it as a blog- http://www.wedgwoodnt.blogspot.com
that I can print off sections from as necessary. It can also be put onto CD that I hope will be interactive.

My torus mould has been sat gathering dust since it was made. I was away in France, and then my contact at Ideal Standard has been on holiday. In addition I had some trouble finding plastic containers for the fireclay slip. They should now have been delivered so I plan to go to the factory next Monday.

I have also managed to continue writing my essay on perception, just over 2000 words so far and not finished. I must canvas the opinions of some of my fellow researchers.

I have missed a few potentially interesting lectures at College and there are one or two exhibitions that I must see. However well organised I try to be, there never seem to be enough hours in the week.

23.11.07

A busy week, spent moving between different projects.
After discussion with Martin Smith I have decided to enter the RSA design directions international competition, in the Ceramic Futures section.
I would like to utilise what I learnt in Paris last week so set about designing a piece to be rapid prototyped. The piece will have a traditional appearance at first glance but on closer inspection it should be clear that it could not have been made by traditional techniques.
Next week is likely to be as busy, there’s the Work in Progress show starting on Thursday, which needs everyone’s help, a meeting with the French company upstairs in Rapidform on Wednesday and I had hoped to get another piece finished for the show!

This weekend I am giving a demonstration at York City Art Gallery. I’m taking part in one of their showcase features, where Paul Young and I have selected historical work from the collection to show alongside our work.

16.11.07

On arrival at Euston this week I went straight to Waterloo, met Alastair from RapidformRCA and caught the Eurostar to Paris.
We had arranged to visit a French company specialising in postproduction techniques for rapid prototyped products.
Alastair had arranged to spend just one day in Paris, learning as much as possible about their services and finding out about licensed use of their products. I had arranged to stay for the rest of the week in order to do some practical work. The company is based in a technical college and we spent Wednesday in the classroom learning about the treatment of Z Corp pieces that allows them to be used as durable finished products. This includes ceramic and glass coatings, infiltration and curing that allow their use as moulds for glass blowing and casting, low temperature metal casting, thermoforming and rotation moulding. The ceramic coating also comes in another version that can be cast. It is incredibly versatile, can be coloured, is food safe, acid and alkali resistant, provides a gas barrier etc.
There seems that to be a vast number of potential applications, and the company are still only at an early stage in its development.

Thursday was spent in their lab, casting and spraying ceramic materials. It’s a straightforward procedure. I would like to have had some of my own designs to work with, but it was not possible this time. I used children’s plastic moulds of cherubs and numbers instead! Even so, I learnt the basic technique, which I can pass on to students at College.

During our trip the French train drivers were on strike, with the Metro drivers joining them on Wednesday. It made for a difficult taxi journey to Gard du Nord for Alastair in the evening, arriving just 10 minutes before his train left. Monsieur Sarcozy is in for a fight but I think there is no way a country can afford to pay workers to retire at 50. Though I hope he isn’t a French Mrs. Thatcher.

Friday morning was spent checking my notes and wrapping up my samples, followed by a slow drive with Gilles to the railway station. The Eurostar was smooth and quick, arriving back at the newly refurbished St.Pancras station in two and a quarter hours.

09.11.07

This week has passed in a flash, partly organising things for next week’s Paris trip to visit Axiatec, partly making some more test pieces and finishing off things from a fortnight ago.

To prepare for next week I spoke to Anthony, one of the College glass technicians about the principles of casting. Axiatec offer a service where glass moulds for casting and blowing into can be rapid prototyped. Anthony is intrigued about the material and whether cork or graphite surfaces are applied as in the conventional moulds. I hope to not only find out but also hope to be able to produce a mould to use at College.
Alastair from RapidformRCA talked me through the Z Corp machine, it’s relatively simple technology, certainly compared to the laser sintering machines. He is coming along on the trip to talk to Axiatec about licensing their technology for us at College. I’m sure he’ll be able to help with adapting designs for use with the Z Corp technology.

A light wire evaluation kit was waiting for me at College on Tuesday. I had ordered 6 different samples of light wire, different colours and grades to test in my pieces. As the name suggests it is a wire that glows along its full length, emitting a neon type glow. Until I see it in place I’m not sure if it will look a little gimmicky, so I designed a piece where the wire will be hidden at the edge of the internal base, hopefully emitting a coloured glow across the black metallic glaze.

I also made a couple of pieces that I could insert Perspex secret sign into to form an illuminated base. It’s a satin black material that turns clear when light is shone through. White light looks white, coloured light coloured. Again, I must justify its use in terms of the project but think it could have a place and later have a commercial application.

The Ceramics and Glass department had an outing to see the First Emperor exhibition at the British Museum. First there was a lecture describing his life and the way he unified China. We also heard details of how the exhibition had been arranged and designed to make use of the Reading Room in the Great Court without affecting its listed interior. My youngest daughter, Grace took advantage of a spare ticket, arriving just in time to see the exhibition. I think she enjoyed it but was slightly distracted by the thought of a trip to Claridges to see Elle McPherson launch her new lingerie collection! Quite a contrast, but that’s Grace.

Our research cluster seminar room meetings haven’t been very successful so far. This year the new students aren’t in as regularly as we were last year, Heike is in the US and Emmanuel has gone part time. Maybe we need a guest from outside the cluster to talk about their research. Or maybe we have to wait until one of the group has something specific to discuss.

02.11.07

When Tuesday morning arrived this week, I decided that my chesty cough was best dealt with at home. I wouldn’t be coughing and spluttering over the population of London and I could get on with some quiet making and writing.
My attempt to write the section on perception finally got underway, one of the interesting things being that each time I searched for relevant information, Richard Gregory’s name came up. He has written a book with E H Gombrich, which I must now revisit, and I believe Gombrich has written one on Art and perception.

In the workshop I made 4 pairs of the disc pieces during the course of the week, managing to apply the black underglaze and leaving them to dry slowly over the next week or so. I hope to be able to biscuit fire them next weekend, but as the heating will be off in the workshop that may not be possible for all of them. I hope to get them through in time for the College interim show at the end of November, but they will crack if I rush them.

On Thursday I made a very interesting visit to the Ideal Standard factory in Middlewich in Cheshire. Steve Hill-Cousins, one of the technical managers who was very generous with his time, showed me around the factory. The mixture of automation and craftsmanship was interesting. The sleek designs are produced from very complex moulds made by highly skilled workers. Ideas, like the use of magnets to hold the internal sections together may be new, but they are employing the same traditional techniques that have been used since the Industrial Revolution.
They use two kinds of slip- vitreous china and fine fireclay. Both are once fired to the same temperature, 1210°C. For me the fireclay has advantages over the china, it only has 5% shrinkage so glaze compatibility may be a problem, so it will need testing. I brought a small bucketful back with me and cast up one of my tealight holders in the afternoon. It was biscuit fired on Saturday and glazed with the metallic black glaze. The result looks successful, but as the glaze cooled it was ‘pinging’ a little, suggesting that it was crazing. Nothing is visible to the naked eye, but I’ll talk it through with Keith, the chief technician at College and maybe ask to discuss it with Nigel Woods, the glaze expert.

So considering I started the week feeling pretty grotty, it turned out to be highly productive. I missed the camaraderie of the other students, but it made me think that staying home is an option if I want a concentrated period without disturbance. It is probably more useful for making than writing, as I would need to ensure that I had all the reference material to hand for writing, but the library at Lancaster University may be accessible to me.

26.10.07- writing about perception [and making moulds]

Monday was spent reading about perception and starting to put down some words towards that section of the thesis.
I remember coming across the writings of Richard L Gregory FRS, the Emeritus Professor in the Department of Neuropsychology at Bristol University last year and was interested in his work on illusion, which he uses to further his investigations into how sensations are interpreted as perceptions. In looking for online definitions of perception I came across his website. It’s a valuable resource that allows readers to download all his research papers. What is particularly useful about Richard Gregory is that he is at the forefront of current research.
Philosophers since the Ancient Greeks have studied perception. Since that time the dominant theory has been ‘passive perception’ – whereby perception came predominantly from the interpretation of sensations, in a linear way. However, the theory of ‘active perception’, is gaining momentum. Richard Gregory states that perceptions are 90% or more stored knowledge governed by rules generated through experience as we grow up.
In other words, when I look at a container, my brain doesn’t have to rely on very much visual information, as it knows what to expect from the countless times it has previously encountered a container. It will contain something or have the ability to. As a potter who has made many thousands of ceramic containers my brain is taken up with the aesthetics and function of the object, rather than identifying it. But I suppose that is what most of us do to a greater or lesser extent.

On Friday some tests came through that are part of my attempt to disrupt this process. I have thrown a series of cylinders; one without a base, one with a cone instead of a flat base etc. each was decorated with one matt black surface and one black metallic shiny glazed surface. I am interested to see if the glazed surface appears to float or loose definition due to the reflections.

The other big project this week was the making of the mould of the torus 03 CNC milled model. When I arrived on Tuesday Stephan was already at work, so I helped him by mixing plaster. Later on he left me to make the top half, which seemed to go smoothly. The following day we separated the two halves but it wasn’t until the evening that I finally removed the model. The mould is a success, but now we have to work out how to slip cast from it. Before catching the train home on Friday I went to speak to Robin Levien who is involved with Ideal Standard, makers of sanitary ware. He was very welcoming, showing me around the workshop below the studio where the team makes highly skilled models from blue Styrofoam. Robin will contact the manager of the Middlewich factory to arrange for me to visit and discuss the casting of the piece. Ideally I need to make the visit before my French trip.

18.10.07 – The Actual and the Virtual

On arriving at College I went straight upstairs to the Darwin workshops to see how Neil had got on with the CNC milling of my torus 03 form. I felt like Christmas had arrived! It was finished and looked superb.
The difference between visualising the virtual form on Rhino 3D and having the real thing in front of me is profound and also shows up the difference between what I have carefully designed and the thrown test forms. 3D modelling software has many advantages, which include the ability to visualise a design, to create an extremely realistic render of it and to save that information to fabricate the design by various methods such as CNC milling and rapid manufacture.
On close inspection of the model various slight imperfections could be seen, there was ‘stepping’ on the curve at the centre of the form, and a slight ridge where the two halves met. Neil was as interested as any craftsman in how the tool had performed under skilled guidance regardless of the fact that he controlled the tool through the computer keyboard. The making of the form was not an automatic process; there were choices to be made in planning it as there are with traditional methods.

From there it was back down to unpack some tests from the kiln. The metallic black glaze from a recipe that Liz had given me, which I had ball milled, had come out quite differently; this time it looks very much like steel. Not the same high ‘chrome’ gloss of my first glaze recipe, but still an interesting surface.
The matt black underglaze fests looked at first less successful, unpleasant to the touch and marked easily. After speaking to Martin on Wednesday I tried using wet and dry on the surface, but revealed some of the white clay body.

On Wednesday I spent the morning in a tutorial with Martin discussing the writing of the thesis. We allocated each section a number of words and started to work out an order for the writing of it. In looking at my practical work Martin suggested that I research using sanitary ware slip as it is designed for large items and would be preferable to press moulding the piece. I emailed Martin Hunt for advice, who suggested I speak to Robin Levien. On Friday I gave him a call and arranged a meeting for next Friday. I mentioned the mentoring scheme, which he told me he had helped to set up.
I had another glaze firing this week, having painted another coat of underglaze on the two test pieces. They came out just before leaving College on Friday and were a definite improvement. They were sanded with 1000 grade wet & dry, giving the jet black one a silky very matt black basalt-like surface. It may be exactly what I’m looking for to contrast the mirror like black glaze.

I have designed a series of pieces to explore that contrast, each a pair, one with the matt inside, its partner matt outside.

The value of our research cluster was again made evident this week at the first of our Seminar room meetings and from a couple of conversations with Steve. The first was a comment that my glazed test torus looked like an event horizon. Looking up its meaning I thought how poetic a reading it was. It is a term used to describe the boundary of a black hole beyond which nothing is ever seen again or ever comes out of. It is also used to describe the edge of the visible universe, as the universe isn’t old enough for light to travel to us from beyond that point. Steve also raised the point that the white of my biscuit fired pieces isn’t much different to the black of the underglaze tests. My wish is to create a light-absorbing surface and white doesn’t have that quality. But it’s an observation worth thinking about.

12.10.07 – The Craft of Rapid Manufacture; Drawing and Making

The week started with a return to teaching on the Foundation Ceramics degree course in Carlisle. The CIA [Cumbria Institute of Art} has become part of the new University of Cumbria, which I don’t think will affect me very much. I’m teaching throwing to the first years and overseeing the second years. Both groups are small so that seems manageable and interesting.

Back in College on Tuesday I headed straight upstairs to RapidformRCA to check on my SLA torus piece. The second attempt had again failed at the same place on the rim, so the technician Greg, had a more detailed look and suggested that he strengthen the support matrix at that point.
Like the new hand building techniques I have been using, there is a craft element to Rapid Manufacture. The practitioner needs to know the characteristics and properties of the material and understand the methods by which it can be processed. The main difference between my two recent experiences is that the hand is absent in the making part of an RP piece. That doesn’t alter the need to develop a tacit knowledge as in other skills.

From there it was back to the Ceramics workshops and the familiar, traditional skills of glazing, drying and firing. More time was spent in the workshops watching plaster-sledging demonstrations by the highly skilled technician Stephan, and tutor Tavs Jorgensen. There are some interesting techniques that may have possible applications in my project. The other workshop demonstration I attended was press moulding by Martin Smith. He chose to use one of the moulds for his forthcoming Barrett Marsden exhibition, so it was interesting to see what his current work is dealing with. His demonstration clearly emphasised that to realise an idea, appropriate techniques need to be used; as he said he doesn’t have a favourite technique or one he feels most comfortable with. The process is a complex problem solving exercise where a high quality end result is the goal.

In between the workshops I was also preparing for the torus 03 form to be CNC milled. The material was measured and cut to size, leaving me with enough excess to produce another form.

Back up in RapidformRCA the third attempt had successfully been produced.
Once the material had been cured I took one of the failed ones and the successful down to my workspace to remove the supporting matrix. It was fairly easily removed, but care had to taken not to snap the brittle form. As can be seen in the photographs, the material does not possess the tensile strength to completely support the form. Would another RM material have the properties required or will I have to redesign the form? It won’t be the finished object I have imagined as it’s only 25 cm diameter and the surface isn’t smooth.
I wish to produce an actual three-dimensional version of a form that I can visualise in the virtual world of Rhino 3D software. On the computer screen it can be turned, scaled and I can even pass through the form. With the precision that the software allows me I can explore and develop my particular ideas far more accurately than with paper and pencil. The forms are based on simple geometric models, which with my level of skill can be drawn up on the screen fairly easily. This particular software may not be suitable for more complex intuitive forms. However, haptic modelling software is being introduced into the department, so it will be interesting to see how other students make use of it. I have found that my sketching has become far more simplified, mostly being a rough outline of simple forms. I use them to quickly run through a series of ideas, from which I can select a number to develop in Rhino.

By Friday I was feeling pretty exhausted, having had an intense return to College. However, I have achieved what I had planned. Just before I left I saw that start of the CNC milling process, watching the machine roughing out the beginning of the torus.
I spent the afternoon at the Frieze Art Fair in Regent’s Park before walking over to Euston for the train home.
It was my first visit to Frieze and an enlightening experience to see so much current contemporary art from many parts of the world under one canvas roof. It was possible to detect some trends, for instance the use of graphic design to convey messages and statements. Oppression, sex and the city are reoccurring themes, though one gallery countered them with a makeshift cinema showing Woody Allen’s film ‘Bananas’!
I missed visiting Origin at Somerset House, but felt that Frieze was more important for me to see.

The train home was extremely busy, but a useful time for reflection, planning and sketching, preferring, on this occasion the less intense experience of sketchbook and drawing pen.

05.10.07- Realising the virtual

I was determined to ‘hit the ground running’ this week and am pleased to say that I managed to achieve virtually all that I set out to do.
I have spent time thinking about what I can realistically complete in the time available knowing that practical work takes longer than it would in the studio at home, partly because I am exploring new ways of working & I often need advice, sometimes from outside the ceramics & glass department.
I decided to concentrate on the cone and the torus, both of which are one-sided surfaces and are essentially the same form, the cone an angular version of the torus.
So the week started with a throwing session, attempting to create a larger torus than previously. By the end of the week 4 toruses were thrown and turned and two glaze tests had come out, one of which- the metallic black glaze that I’ve used at home, was particularly successful.
One of my aims for this week was to arrange for a torus spiral piece to be rapid prototyped and for a torus model to be CNC milled.

Unfortunately, the RP piece partly failed at the top edge, however it was still very exciting to see the piece with its supports still attached in the SLA machine.
I had hoped to CNC a 560mm diameter model from which to take a mould, but the material it will be made from is incredibly expensive- a 500X100X2000mm. sheet costs £250! I managed to get hold of an offcut that brought the cost down. It’s a dense material that should produce a fine surface without much extra sanding. Due to the sheet size I have had to scale down the model to 480mm. 560mm may have been too ambitious as the mould may have been unmanageable for slipcasting.

Martin Watmough from RapidformRCA gave me details of a French company who are producing a ceramic coating for models produced on the Z-Corp machine and a fast way of producing glass moulds for blowing or casting pieces. I contacted the Managing director who invited me to visit their laboratory in Paris. Martin Watmough is really keen for me to go with ‘Big Al’, one of the RapidformRCA technicians and will part fund a trip. I have to find additional funding so spoke to Tom in the Research office who was encouraging. I’m waiting for confirmation, but hope to go in November.

During the week I had an informal meeting with Martin Smith to discuss what I had done over the summer and my plans for the forthcoming term. He appeared positive and made some practical suggestions. We have arranged a time for a formal tutorial at which all my practical work and writing will be discussed.

28.09.07- Craft and the Computer

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.

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.

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.

17.08.07-throwing the torus

Last week was spent writing about the making process and throwing some torus forms based on the model I had designed on Rhino. Like all attempts to develop new work there is a need to adapt skills and improve techniques. I was keen to reproduce the Rhino design as accurately as possible, the first attempts [torus 01-08] were thrown the ‘right way up’, but I found it was very difficult to create a shallow, open bowl form. Throwing the form ‘upside down’ meant that I had gravity assisting me, particularly useful in forming the outside wall. Much more control was possible and the resulting toruses [09 and 10] are quite pleasing. However, the cross section is not an accurate reproduction of the Rhino design. I am looking forward to producing the Rhino model by CNC milling, to be used as a mould for slipcasting or pressmoulding the piece. It will be interesting to compare the results of the two methods. Which will prove to be the most successful, what are the criteria I will use to make a comparison?

The torus has been chosen because it is a one-sided surface; it doesn’t have a separate interior and exterior, but can be produced to challenge the habitual understanding of the container. Does it matter that my thrown toruses are not a true reproduction of the one designed to carefully proportioned dimensions on Rhino? With nothing to compare my thrown pieces to, I cannot answer that question. I will have to wait until I return to College to find the answers.

Along with my last clay order I bought a gallon of bone china casting slip. To test it I used an old tealight mould, which is basically a torus with a base, on which the tealight sits. They were fired to 1000, sanded smooth, then fired to 1260 after which they were sanded with wet & dry paper. They have come out successfully with very little distortion, a beautiful sheen and are translucent when held up to the light. I think there would be the potential to evolve the design to one where the tealight is positioned to shine through the bone china.


Between house renovations, visiting Kielder Forest and having visitors I have continued my attempts to throw a Ø45cm torus in white earthenware. I am now up to my sixth try with only one saved for turning. As I said above, learning to make a new form takes time, and eventually I will succeed to produce one of the right size, but I’m sure the cross-section won’t be as accurate as I would like, and for me that is essential.

20.07.07 - thinking about the thesis

Since arriving back for the summer I have been concentrating on commercial work, producing more figures for the interior designer we have worked with for the past few years. The work is physically demanding but does allow me some thinking time. One of the things that has come up is linked to how quickly the first year has gone and how soon the end of the second year will come around. I will need to prepare for that moment so that I “hit the ground running”, I think I’ll find it difficult to return to production throwing, supplying galleries and doing the round of potters markets, but I may have to if I don’t follow up other possibilities and take advantage of the opportunities that come up.
I have also been thinking about the thesis and the need to write. One pretty obvious thing that has occurred to me is that the title of the project ‘The Hand and the Glove- Actual and Virtual Explorations of the Ceramic Container’ requires that I make comparisons between hand and digital processes. This raises the issue that, apart from my use of Rhino 3D modelling software I haven’t used any digital manufacturing as anticipated. Over the summer I must prepare models for CNC milling and rapid prototyping. They need to be the right ones, forms that explore the container, but the essential thing will be to experience the process. Another area of exploration is to analyse the practice of other makers who use digital tools, such as those involved with Autonomatic at Falmouth and some of the exhibitors at last year’s exhibition at The Guild of Devon Craftsmen’s gallery in Bovey Tracey. These can be used as case studies and depending on what I find will be used as supporting material in the construction of a ‘position’ or ‘argument’ to be explored in the thesis.

Week ending 05.07.07- end of year 1

I returned to College after a weekend of feeling unsure of the next step in my research. I have plenty of writing to do, but found it difficult to settle because the previous writing [see 22.07.07- Sensing the Container], where I have tried to focus on the core of the experience of perceiving the container has left me doubting that the practical work is coming close to provoking the sensation that I’m looking for. So Monday, a nice quiet day in the house was mostly wasted.
I had a good chat with Steve Brown, one of my fellow researchers about my recent doubts. He expressed having experienced similar feelings and talked about using case studies as material if I couldn’t provide the material myself. This was a new thought for me, I know I need to use examples of other artists work in the thesis, but I had thought that would be solely for contextual purposes. Steve is a very supportive and has a strong insight, our conversations are always stimulating and productive from my point of view, and I hope that I give something in return.
I had planned that this week would be spent getting together the reference material I would need for the thesis writing over the summer but realised that I would have time to do some practical work. I made a replacement for one of the flat cone pieces that I lost through firing too impatiently. It came out well and didn’t require much fettling, so either my skill is improving or the mould is drier and releases the clay more easily.
I find that taking a pen, sketchbook and cup of tea across into Kensington Gardens can be a fruitful experience. For the last couple of weeks the weather has been so wet and cool that there haven’t been many opportunities, but Thursday was a bit kinder so off I went. I made some notes about the container, about its deconstruction, separating the parts- rim, interior and exterior surfaces or making a container without those distinct parts. In relation to deconstruction I think of Malevich and the Cubists periods of Picasso and Braque; in relation to a continuous surface I think of the torus and then the Möbius strip. Which is what I was thinking about before starting at the RCA. I had shelved it as too complicated a structure, but find it maybe the way forward. I must return to the Rhino models and see if they can be used to produce a CNC milled model.
It felt like I’d found a way forward so got some clay and threw three torus pieces, one in white earthenware and two in porcelain.

I was pleased to move away from the feelings I was experiencing at the weekend and this seemed like a step in the right direction. I don’t know where these pieces will lead but they also help to alleviate my concerns that the work shares too many similarities to Martin Smith’s.

A couple of weeks ago I put in an application to take part in a mentoring scheme that the RCA and the Royal Designers for Industry are pioneering. I have chosen Martin Hunt of Queensbury Hunt as the person most appropriate for me and on Wednesday received a call from the chap [Barry…?]co-ordinating the scheme at Innovation RCA to say that it looks like I’ll get the placement.
I emphasised that at this stage of my career a review in light of my RCA experience will be invaluable. I need to change direction, as the studio pottery model is increasingly difficult to sustain. Basically, that is where my experience lies, with some teaching experience, my knowledge of other models is limited.
I’m now writing this sat on the 18.45 Virgin Pendelino train heading north for the last time this academic year. I may have to pop down to use the library at College during the summer but would rather make use of time at home to balance production work and practical and written College work. Plus I have to do some DIY on the house and we definitely need a bit of time off. We’ll see.

Week ending 29.06.07

This is the official last week of term, though I am returning on Tuesday for one more week of tidying up & making use of the library.
My overwhelming feeling is how fast the year has gone, it has been a tremendous experience, I have met many wonderful and talented people and feel lucky to be part of a very special College. Regarding my project, I feel somewhat daunted by the amount of work required to complete it by this time next year. The past 9 months have been spent finding out how to conduct research, developing a context for the project and attempting to produce work in response. The practical part of the project hasn’t moved as fast as I would have liked, partly for technical reasons – learning new techniques takes time, and for the practicalities of working in a studio with very little space which is often cluttered up.

Tuesday:
Arrived to find that the kiln I had booked for tomorrow was empty and very hot, so let it cool for a while then loaded the first of 2 pieces. They are difficult to handle and I broke a small section off the internal rim, more or less ruining it. The second piece had its internal & external cones separated at the rim, with bridging pieces inside. I managed to load it, then left the kiln to cool further, allowing the pots a pretty hot drying period.
At 5.00 I had a tutorial with Martin to discus the writing of the thesis. I had prepared a draft contents page that Martin had asked me to develop into abstract length sections. It had been an interesting exercise, making me realise the importance of writing it in the correct order. For instance I started to write the introduction, then went onto the first section ‘Sensing the Container’, soon beginning to realise that I was duplicating myself and that the ideas were far better expressed in that part than the intro. Martin had a lot to say, plenty of sound advice and didn’t actually say that my efforts were dismal. I felt pretty daunted by the task, though I have found that the writing, when I work at it has improved and is an enjoyable experience. I think that Martin’s main advice is to justify every statement and to write clearly in my own voice.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday:
Attended the Atoms to Art 2 conference held at University College. Though there was an impressive range of speakers from science, ceramics and glass the attendance wasn’t what it deserved. I must admit to cherry picking a little as some of the subjects were either incredibly specialist or potentially interesting, but not relevant to my work at the moment. Besides, on Wednesday I had to cycle back to College to unpack the kiln and discover that rushing things definitely does not pay off. Both pieces had cracked, they should both have been lifted off the kiln shelf, loaded into the kiln when it was cooler and allowed to warm through for much longer. One of them can possibly be used as a mould for vacuum forming so perhaps all is not lost.
Meanwhile, back at Atoms to Art 2 I was very impressed with Marek Cecula and his approach to ceramics. He showed images of work he has selected for a forthcoming exhibition in Toronto. The makers/artists/designers chosen don’t often have a ceramics background and their approach to ceramics is very fresh. Of the work shown many were utilising ready-mades, over-layering or creating contemporary and sometimes political imagery. I think he would make a valuable contribution at the RCA and I plan to put his name forward as a visiting lecturer.

I am writing this, as usual on the train home, hoping that this journey isn’t a repeat of last week’s diversions and delays due to flooding. I finally got home at 12.15 a.m., three & a half hours late. But I was dry & warm and the house wasn’t flooded.

Week ending 22.06.07 -Sensing the Container

Since my brother’s wedding, I have continued to work with the flat cone 01 mould that had dried out well whilst I was away. Martin worked with me, demonstrating how to smear the surface of the mould with soft clay then build up another couple of layers until it is the correct thickness. We added a coil around the inside of the base to strengthen and stop it from distorting. When the piece was taken from the mould it needed relatively little fettling and appears crisp. However, I was a bit disappointed that the lower, internal rim is higher than I had anticipated, so I threw an insert with a smaller diameter to form a false base.

Later I had a meeting with Martin to discuss the preparation for starting the thesis. I had prepared a draft Contents page that Martin has now asked me to flesh out to abstract length. Since then I have spent some time working on the Introduction and the beginning of the first section dealing with the perception of the ceramic container. I have tried to make it engaging and straightforward, but writing doesn’t come easy to me, so it’s not the easiest part of this project. Having said that it does focus the mind on what the practical work is designed to articulate. I’ll include some of the first draft below, if anyone actually reads it with interest please let me know!

Sensing the Container:

I have made thousands of mugs, cups and saucers, bowls of different sizes- ceramic containers of all sorts of shapes and sizes. Function and aesthetics were the main concerns in their gestation. The mug for instance, is a humble, everyday pot but one of the most difficult for a potter to successfully make. Being practiced and attuned to subtle differences will determine its success. Fingers should fit the handle comfortably, there should be a sense of balance when lifting it, it should hold the preferred amount of liquid and the mug is almost unique as it is often in intimate contact with one of our most sensitive organs- the lips.
So we use sight and touch to perceive the mug, sight, touch and smell to perceive the contents. Hearing plays a part in the experience when the tea is poured [and my youngest daughter hates anyone to slurp his or her tea].
We analyse and respond to all that sensory information just to have a cup of tea and we are barely conscious of the complex processes involved. If we stop awhile to look again, what do we see? Firstly, the fabric- decorated red earthenware if I made it, yours may be stoneware or porcelain. Each of these materials has a particular quality that will affect your experience. Then there is the form- it could look like a small bucket, a barrel or a can. It has an interior and an exterior surface, is that one surface or two? A barrel shaped mug will make you think of two surfaces, an open form will be more ambiguous. The rim is the dividing line, but pour a cappuccino and the rim doesn’t restrain the contents, it foams outwards to the ‘exterior’. So where is the dividing line between the inside and outside space?
I like to drink Darjeeling tea, it is a golden translucent liquid and if the interior surface of my mug is pale I can still see its form. If I was to fill the cup with water, I can have the best of both worlds, something to drink and I can still apprehend the interior.
The empty mug is actually full; air is made of matter and energy in the same way as tea, but our perception of it is liminal. However, looking at my empty mug isn’t a lot different than my experience of looking at it when filled with water.
The container actively frames and shapes the matter around it.

That’s as far as I’ve got for the time being, I’m hoping to add to it over the weekend before my next meeting with Martin on Tuesday.

Going back to the mould- it is made of 2 sections, the outer cone and the inner, which is removable. This allows me to make variations of the inner cone, enabling me to produce a series of related forms. I made a second inner cone, deeper than the first and dried it overnight. Since then I have made 2 variations from it, in the first the cones are joined, whereas the second has a gap between the inner and outer cone. I plan to raise it of the surface so that when it is filled with light all three rims will be defined.

We have 2 Swedish post-graduate students on an exchange from Kontsfach in the department. They haven’t been around much, but I spoke to them for the first time last week and they described how they collaborate on installation projects that deal with material, space and object. I asked them if they would make a presentation to the research students so at lunchtime with cakes provided by Heike they showed some photographs of their recent graduation installation in Sweden. It was comprised of a series of ‘rooms’, some bright, white and airy, others very dark with scorched wooden walls and polished concrete floors. The objects ranged from a group of white porcelain teabowls to glazed earthenware ‘mirrors’ and free blown glass container suspended from the ceiling slowly leaking water onto the floor. They describe their work as a desire to connect the viewer with a calm contemplative environment, something that is in short supply for most people in the busy modern world.