Journal of Student Research 2019

Journal of Student Research

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193

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Sarah Bennett Senior, Studio Art - Ceramics and Art Education

Mentor: Charles Matson Lume

Clay is flesh and bone. It is malleable, soft, flexible, and impressionable. It has the ability to wrinkle and pucker and stretch, but after living through the processes of creation—fabrication and firing—it reaches a point of perpetuity. It becomes a solid structure, rigid and resolute in its stance, feeling no fear of rejection and no need to alter its appearance. The final physique of the clay body emerges with an adamancy that can only be reached by enduring the intensity and severity of water and fire. My ceramic sculptural work takes inspiration from the human body’s associations with the vessel form and organic materials. We address different areas of pottery in terms of human anatomy—pots have bellies, feet, shoulders, necks, and lips. Why must we project ourselves onto that which we create? The sculptural forms I construct use wheel thrown pieces that are connected and combined to build abstractions of the human body. They contain references to fat, skin, and bone, while also invoking the volume and vertical structure of pottery. These forms exist with no concern for judgement, despite their surface imperfections and lack of symmetry. There is a push and pull of the effects of gravity on the body—sagging of skin and creases on the surface that develop with age. While areas droop and slump, they seem to have a skeletal structure underneath that maintains the body’s integrity. This gives the sense of youthfulness due to the lifting of the forms, which almost contradicts the age that is shown in their weight. There is evidence that these bodies have endured long, demanding lives, and yet they continue to persevere. The finished glaze work elicits the softness of skin, prompting a temptation to touch them to determine if the surface is solid or malleable. Some areas are smooth while others are bumpy, wrinkled, or scarred due to stretching of the clay, giving a wide breadth of the different textures and qualities that flesh may contain. The hue of the glaze is soft as well; it creates a glowing effect where certain areas present a pinkish warmth. Iron deposits from the clay body peek through in spots to create freckles on the skin. Without actually replicating skin, the surface becomes a kind of flesh, containing the perfections and imperfections that occur with the evolution of the body, and showing the progression of life throughout each individual piece. I use fabric to form relationships between pieces and give the agency to individuals to allow them to obscure or reveal as much of themselves as they wish. Ceramics has a long history of functionality, and the fabric acts as a barrier to the

the body, a barrier to us (exhibition shot from rapport) 2018 knit fabric, thread, performers

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