64 pots | 2018
3rd year at Design Academy Eindhoven
Ceramics Minor (Sept 2018-Feb 2019)
Ceramics Minor (Sept 2018-Feb 2019)
In this project I wanted to show that there is more to design that it being purely functional and square. There can be life in design, there can be beauty. Art has a very strong place in the culture of the world, we have been making art since the prehistoric era....It does not appear to have any value, it does not feed us, keep us warm or make us stronger, but it is undoubtedly crucial to the human species. Art shows our culture and helps to re-enforce it as the human species and, time progresses and develops. The meaning of art and the reason that is created has moved with the development of the human brain, the ability to think more critically and comprehend greater things has changed the world of art along with it. It seems that art and developing human cognitive ability have evolved hand in hand.
When it comes to tribal art, again, it is the “materialisation of culture”, from indigenous people. Tribal art is often ceremonial or religious in nature. Tribal African art is probably the hardest of all tribal arts in the world to interpret and understand, this given that we are talking approximately 3000 ethnic groups spread across the entire continent. Each tribe has there own practices, beliefs, rules and designs in there crafts. In tribal pottery there are even more superstitions and rituals. This is why I am naturally drawn to traditional African ceramics, it has the same natural and playful quality’s that I like to see in design. It comes from the earth and you can clearly see it is made by hand, there are not the same organised or geometric lines as found in the more highly noted and praised ancient Greek or Chinese pottery.
I like to see a little life and joy in my objects. Life is too short for it to be boring, enjoy colour and sound and shape, for me design is about having fun too. Its very easy to ignore perfect things. In this project I want to combine art, design and craft.
“Craft by definition is something that you can teach to someone else, where as art is far more about the person and there individual vision.”- Grayson Perry.
