Abstract:
While studying animation as an undergraduate I always felt disconnected from the computer generated objects, wanting them to be something I could touch, walk around, and be in the same space. My goal in this creative project was to make artwork that told a story through viewer interaction in an exhibition space. I created this story with two main ceramic elements: Celestial Bodies and Dirigibles (airships). I was inspired by scanning electron microscope images of pollen for the Celestial Bodies. I researched the steampunk movement for the foundation of the dirigibles. My creative process uses slump form molds for clay slabs creating two halves of a hollow form. The Celestial Bodies are then fired in kilns using different processes (wood, soda, and electric). The surfaces are finished with various glazes and/or paints. Finishing the Celestial bodies also involved growing foliage on or in them. The dirigibles’ surfaces are elaborately decorated in the greenware state then glazed and fired in a soda kiln; the surfaces are then worked with more paints, and finished with mixed media applications. The dirigibles hang above the Celestial Bodies to create an imaginative environment in which the interactive story is told.
