Reaction to the Ceramics Symposium

The most recent symposium covered the surprisingly varied field of ceramics. Examples were provided for current and ancient pieces that run the gambit from vases and simple pottery to porcelain sculptures of delicate and distorted people to strange abstractions that resist simple classification. The massive diversity present in the presentation was my main take away and it has since influenced my thoughts toward this field which I had prior assumed was reserved for practical container creation. The idea that the applications of this medium could be so varied is enlightening and exciting. If so many new concepts and processes can still be emerging after thousands of years of progress, then there must be a large amount still left to discover. Nothing excites me more as an artist than the potential for innovation or discovery, so ceramics now appear significantly more appealing as a potential medium to experiment with, if not focus on. I was also intrigued, more specifically, with more obscure functional uses for ceramics.

For instance, a geometric and simplistic ceramic inkwell was displayed that elicited an immediate reaction in me. I was at once enamored with its incredibly useful design that was also sculptural in appearance. I have always been interested in the concept that form follows function and this piece was a beautiful testament to that design philosophy. If I ever have the opportunity to move into the three-dimensional design world, I will attempt to work in a similar fashion, focusing on how the necessary structures of my designs can be augmented by the aesthetics that make it up.