Ceramic Art: The Ability to Transgress Time

Paper presented to the 7th Annual Symposium on Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects (GRASP) held at the Marcus Welcome Center, Wichita State University, May 4, 2011.Research completed at the Department of CeramicsBeing comprised of specific minerals and earthen materials, clay has been used throughout history to create art. What distinguishes clay from any other material is its resistance to decay. Through the ceramic firing process, the earthen matter releases their physical and chemical water molecules, reducing the material to a hardened substance. The higher the temperature the denser the material becomes allowing for a lifetime spanning millenniums. In either of these states, clay or ceramic, the materials used would never be able to deteriorate through any biological reduction. This comparison of time and process allows for my metaphorical interpretation of ceramics as fossils. When referencing fossilized matter, its process holds a direct correlation to time. A fossil is a representation of a history, a memory into our past. Once clay has been properly vitrified in a ceramic vessel, I am metaphorically interpreting it as a fossilized remnant of its original mineral structure. When clay is formed into ceramic works of art, a fossilization of nature's own resources occurs; creating a timeline of historic memories, visions, and the evolution of human perception