Transforming tales : fairy stories in a contemporary world

Dissertation The research undertaken examines the functions and role of narrative in society, looks at examples of narrative in ceramic art and describes the use of narrative in a series of ceramic sculptures created by the author during 2007, 2008 and 2009. Changes in ceramic form historically are also described, with reference to Greek, Chinese and contemporary ceramic artists including Grayson Perry, Betty Woodman, Rudy Autio and Antje Scharfe. Critic Garth Clark’s concept of the ‘pot as drawing’ is also discussed. Two traditional fairy tales, Hansel and Gretel and Bluebeard are discussed and analyzed for their narrative content, as well as from a Jungian psychological perspective. Theorists Julius Heuscher, Bruno Bettelheim, Sheldon Cashdan, Max Luthi, Marina Warner and Clarissa Pinkola Estes are cited for their insights into the structure of these stories. How these two stories can be usefully understood in contemporary society is also discussed; including the issues raised of commodity and consumer culture, childhood play, containment and captivity and secrecy in institutions and medical settings. These concerns are discussed through the ideas of Jean Baudrillard, John Evans and Jon Goss. Studio Work The studio work consists of a series of ceramic sculptures rethinking the narratives of Hansel and Gretel and Bluebeard in a contemporary world. The three-dimensional clay and mixed media objects examine the ideas of containment, cages, materialism, barriers, and secrecy. My intent was to find metaphoric ways of expressing these complex ideas in a physical form. The objects have been created using the ceramic methods of throwing and slab-building. Research was undertaken into using print-making technologies in ceramic work, with IX new applications of screen-printing technologies on glazed surfaces, porcelain slabs, solar-plate technology and digital decals. The work also explored the development of the ceramic form; the interaction between the use of cut-out figures and the underlying form, the idea of a ‘pot as drawing’ and its further extension as installation