A Timeless Ritual

This written thesis is the supporting documentation for A Timeless Ritual, my Master of Fine Arts thesis exhibition. The exhibition seeks to define my expression of aesthetics through utilitarian vessels to create a sense of nostalgia with the user my mimicking industrial objects. The research pertaining to my thesis explores the interactions between object and user. A patina layered over time evokes a sense of age, weathered memories of a time once lived. I look for these subtle nuances in form. Borrowing an aesthetic from manufactured products and reviving it in a domestic space is where my pots takes life. My references to industrial steel mills, production assembly lines and the shell of the city of Pittsburgh that was once celebrated as such, implements a narrative and attachment with the user. Creating utilitarian vessels replicating this aesthetic builds a relationship between the piece and the user. Activating the living environment by giving the user a gateway for conversation, provokes a remanence of a different time, and rejuvenate memories triggered by these nostalgic elements of my pottery