14 planet of the arts / october 1997

FEATURE

d from previ page

the National Gallery, has to relate to and accentuate the theme of the
piece. It seemed like Rhonda Vatougios didn’t have a complete idea of
how she was going to display her “Morphe”; even the title needed
elaboration. (Morphe is the Greek word for form). The anthropo-
morphic and zoomorphic features of the piece created an image of a
crab poised to start moving. Its form was both machine-like and
organic which created an interesting contrast; its opening stretched
out in a gaping yawn that visually recalled images of Greek heros like
Morpheus. However, her presentation was too restrained — the ordi-
nary, customized plinth needed to be altered to better fit the theme
of the piece. Had the presentation been more interrelated we could
have enjoyed the contrasts made between technology and nature as
well as the reference to Greek mythology. The fact that she didn’t deal
with all the elements of her piece muffled her statement to the point
where you had to ask what it was.

’ The relationship between the different elements of a work huge-
ly reinforces the meaning of the work, and the way a piece is deco-
rated especially effects its interpretation. Janis Falk was very aware of
her use of ostentation and adornment when she made her two funer-
ary urns dedicated to two Greek goddesses. First she distinguished
them as individuals within a pair by painting one black and one
white. Then she contrasted their earthly elements (the fact that urns
carry ashes and are constructed of clay) with the unearthly ones
(their jewelled and pristine forms). The adornment of gold and silver
jewels seemed to drape the bowls in ceremonialism. In combination
with the form this allowed Falk to explain her subject which was the
ceremonial cremation of two Greek goddesses. Decoration became a
vehicle for which she could speak in her own voice about women’s
connection as ceremonial participants with both earth and heaven.

Voice is so important in art. The tone and mood that we set are
key elements when expressing our ideas to the viewer. Bill Vizard’s
piece used the human form to make the viewer aware of this. He han-
dled human forms in a seductive and charming voice which cleverly
framed a shocking statement. His installation consisted of three
ambiguously gendered children’s dresses hanging from the ceiling
above three oval mirrors. The reflection in the mirrors revealed pairs
of “bruised fruits” suspended inside each dress. With their white clay
coating the dresses were reminiscent of the stiff Victorian age. The
fruits seemed to refer to either testicles or ovaries but left the specif-
ic sexuality of the figures unknown. This ambiguity was important in
allowing the open interpretation of Vizard’s ideas. By dealing with
the forms in a sensual yet ambiguous way he allowed the viewers to
ponder an alarming subject in a comfortable context. His chosen of
voice therefore was the key element in making the piece effective.

Valhalla Hoffman’s piece “The Resolution of Patriarchy” revolved
largely on her use of human form. A large fragmented male bust ooz-
ing insects was surrounded by
three identical figurines of a
goddess. The bust was placed
on a plinth and therefore ele-
vated above the smaller god-
desses yet it was decaying and
didn't have the power of
numbers the female image
had. One questionable ele-
ment in the work was that the
figure resembled that of an
African male. It was hard to
tell if this was intentional, but
if she had made this more prominent a whole new discussion would
have been opened. In any case, the artist clearly made the formal
choices about the size and number of gendered figures, and about
using the historical manner of representing male heroes (the bust), to
express that she believed the patriarchal system should be (if not is
being) destroyed.

Another question tackled in the show regarded how the denial of
function allows a vessel to break its confines and explore what use-
fulness really means. Quoc Trinh dealt eloquently with this theme on
many levels in his piece entitled “The Family (a work in progress),
Father”. The square architectural opening of the vessel made the pot
functional but use was quickly denied by the size of the piece, the
cracks in the surface and the wires enclosing it. The reference to ves-
sels made some viewers think of use in the home which, in combina-
tion with the form’s statement on architectural space, the phallic
shape and the title “Father”, introduced the idea of the male nesting
instinct. The surface of the pot was red and charred with smoke, con-
juring images of both “home fires” and destruction. The destruction
theme was accentuated by the fact that the form was broken and
repaired with wire and spurts of smouldering metal which encircled
and restrained its breathing space. Yet to one viewer the constricting
wires became a ladder on which one could climb up to the family
space created by the opening. Trinh’s powerful use of the non-func-
tional genre left me excited to see his next piece’in the series, a full-
sized self-portrait. Would he stay within the non-functional vessel

section of ceramics or would he blend in other elements?

Throughout time
people have
made art to be
used as well as
simply enjoyed.

Elaine Eckman had a vast array of subjects involved in her work,
putting forth questions on the relationship between viewer and art
object, and between space and time. Due to its hand-built nature the
piece instantly communicated with the viewer on tactile and visual
levels. Its tenuous form intimidated with its instability creating a
mood conducive to the formation of relationships. Yet this also
allowed the vessel to define itself to the viewer. Its size positioned it
as a sculpture, its form as a vessel, so the viewer had to combine these
two components to form an opinion. Its scale — at a height that came
to waist-level — also added to the connection by relating the piece to
the body of the viewer and the vessel was brought into the viewer’s
time as well as space by its “contemporary feel”. The artist explained
that the abrupt cropping of the top of the vessel was in reference to
the sharp lines used in contemporary art. At the same time, the fact
that it was in the familiar form of a vessel related the piece back to
ancient cultures, forms and acts (vessels having been used through-
out history for cultural storage and shipping purposes)..The rela-
tionship she created allowed art object and art viewer to redefine the
ideas surrounding ceramics. She used the genre of non-functional
vessels to explain that clay is an art form.

In her piece Gaping Hole, Sylvia Nelson enlarged the definition of
ceramics by combining it with another medium in an interesting
method of display. She placed three mouth-shaped bowls in front of
the transferred image of the interior of an opened jar displayed on
brilliant red paper. The bowls invited us to touch but the hostile,
yelling red of the poster behind them made us recoil. They were
made to be very similar and resembled melted bed pans, which
almost created an institutional feeling. Some viewers did not like this
reference and were glad that she placed each bowl slightly askew,
which softened the reference to hospital tools — although even with
this softening you still had no desire to use these bowls for eating.

By stressing ceramics’ role as a fine art one downplays the impor-
tance of functionality. When discussing art one must not forget that
throughout the ages people have been making art to be used as well
as simply enjoyed. When a piece is used on a daily basis the viewer is
encouraged to enjoy and contemplate the theme of the work with
every use. Its function becomes a part of the statement. Artists have
to think about the way the work is used so they can find ways of mak-
ing work that is as pleasant or unpleasant to use as possible. The way
a piece is used also changes it over time and an artist has to keep this
alteration in mind. For example, if you make a casserole dish with a
weak glaze it will crack off in the oven rendering the pot useless and
then you've got an angry patron! Functional pottery allows an artist
to struggle with both the realm of usefulness as well as all the other
elements in art, such as political issues, display and construction of
work.

Judy Chartrand chose to explore a subject that concerns and sur-
rounds her every day: the racism and oppression
inflicted on the First Nations Peoples of the West
Coast. To this end, she used an everyday vessel, a
bowl, to make her statement. The title of the piece
was “If that’s what you call being civilized, P’'d rather
be a ‘savage.’ Drawn on the bowl was an image of
Balmoral Hotel’s neon sign covered with a scattered
pattern of cockroaches and bugs. The relationship
between the drawing and the bowl spoke strongly of
food and undernourishment (of the body and
soul). There was an overall consensus that the piece
was uninviting to use, yet some wanted to challenge
that feeling and use it anyway. Chartrand seemed to
have overlooked the chance of this happening, for her statement on
undernourishment is negated when the bowl is filled.

Aaron Nelson’s subject in his three small “T bowls” seemed to be
their function. Their thick viscous glaze oozed like melted mozzarel-
la. This visual reference to food was so inviting that viewers demand-

ed the bowls be taken out of their Plexiglass encasement so they

could hold them. The relationship between their usefulness and their

enclosure seemed to be the most important element in his statement.
In placing the bowls in a Plexiglass case mounted on the wall he
stressed the importance of use in the genre of functional ceramics by
disallowing it. His use of a conventional method of displaying art to
display functional pottery expressed the idea that perhaps galleries
and artists should start reshaping their ways of displaying pottery.
This question of the responsibility of the fine arts to redefine them-
selves in order to include ceramics is an important theme for ceram-
icists, curators, art historians and the art audience.

Another important element in functional ware — its construction
— was discussed in Kali Birdsall’s teapot and two saucers. She used an
ancient Chinese technique of connecting a funnel-shaped tube from
the base of the pot to the top. This creates a pot whose functionality
is hidden by a sculptural outer layer. Birdsall constructed the encase-
ment and lid from a complicated system of layers and connections of
clay. She then covered these with holes to make it appear non-func-
tional. By making them aware of the sculptural element of her func-
tional pot, she confused her viewers and reminded them loud and

clear that pottery is more than just cups and bowls.

continued on page 18, see “Ceramics”

Judy Chartrand,
If That Is What You Call Being Civilized, I'd Rather Be “Savage”

Ines Chung, Table With Two Planters

Wendy Crowe, Tea For Two

Sabrina Keskula, First, Second and Third Generation

14 plonet of the orts / october 1997

FEATURE

‘the National Gallery, has to relate to and accentuate the theme ofthe
piece. It semed lie Rhonda Vatougios did't havea complete idea of
how she was gong to display her “Morphe"; even the ttle needed
elaboration, (Morphe isthe Greck word for form). The anthropo-
morphic and zoomorphic features ofthe piece created an image of
crab poised to start moving, Is form was both machne-lke and
‘organic which create an interesting contrast; its opening stretched
‘ut ina gaping yawn that visually recalled images of Greek heros ke
Morpheus. However, her presentation was too restrained ~ the ordi-

inh needed to be altered to beter tthe theme
‘ofthe pice. Had the presentation been more interrelated we could
have enjoyed the contrasts made between technology and natu as
wellas the reference to Greek mythology. The fact that she dt eal
with all

nary, customized

1 elements of her piece mulled her statement tothe point
where you ha to ask what it was

‘The relationship between the different elements ofa work huge
ly reinforces the meaning ofthe work, and the way apiece is decor
‘ated especially effects its interpretation. Janis Falk was very aware of
her us of ostentation and adornment when she made her two funer-
ary urs dediated to two Greck goddesses. Fist she distinguished
‘them as individuals within a pair by painting one black and one
‘white. Then she contrasted thei earthly elements (the fact that wens
carry ashes and are constructed of cay) sith the unearthly ones
(their jewelled and pristine forms). The adornment of gold and sider
jewels seemed to drape the bowls in ceremonialsm. In combination
‘with the form this allowed Fak to explain her subject which was the
‘ceremonial cremation of two Greck goddesses Decoration Became a
‘chil for which she could speak in er own voice about women’s
‘connection as ceremonial participants wit both earth and heaven.

‘Voice sso important in art. The tone and mood that we stare
ey lements when expressing ou ideas to the viewer. Bill Viard's
piece use the human form to make the viewer aware of this He a
Aled human forms in a seductive and charming oice which cleverly
framed a shocking statement. His installation consisted of three
ambiguously gendered children's dreses hanging from i
shove thee oval mirrors. The reletion in the mirrors revealed pairs
of "bruised fruits” suspended inside each dress With their white clay
coating the dresses were reminiscent ofthe stiff Victorian age. The
fruits seemed to refer to either testicles or ovaries but lf the specif
ic sexuality ofthe figures unknown, This ambiguity was important in
allowing the open interpretation of Var ideas. By deal
the forms in a sensual yet ambiguous way he allowed the viewers to

cing

with

ponder an alarming subject ina comfortable context His chosen of

‘oie therefore was the key element in making the pec effective
‘Valhalla Hoffa's piece “The Resoltion of Patriarchy” evaved

largely on her us of human frm. large fragmented male bust 2

ing insects was surrounded by

three identical figurines of a

odes. The bust was placed

con a plinth and therefore ele
sated above the smaller god
esses yet it was decaying and
dids't have the power of
numbers the female’ image
iad, One questionable le
‘ment inthe work was thatthe
figure resembled that of an
African mae, It was hard 10
tel if this was intentional, but
if she had made this mote prominent a whole new discusion would
have been opened. In any’ ese, the ats leary made the formal
choices about the size and numberof gendered figures, and about
sing the historical manner of representing male heroes the bus) 0
‘xpress that she believed the patriarchal system shoul be (i nt is
being) destroyed.

‘Another question tacked inthe show regarded how the denial of
function allows a vesel to break its confines and explore what us
fatnes really means. Quoc Trinh dat eloquent with this theme on
‘many levels in his psce entitled The Family (a work in progress),

ude the pot
functional but use was quickly denied by the sizeof the pec, the

Father’ The square architectural opening ofthe vss

«racks inthe surface and the wites enclosing it. The reference to ves
sels made some viewers think of sein th home which in combina
tion with the formis statement on architectural spac, the phallic
shape and the tile“Father’ introduced the ies of the male nesting
Instinct. The surface ofthe pot was re and charred with smoke, con
juring images of both “home fires” and destruction. The destruction
fact that the form was broken and
repaired with wire and spurts of smouldering metal which encircled

theme was accentuated byt

and restrained its breathing space. Yt to one viewer the constricting
‘wes became ladder on which one could climb up tothe family
space created bythe opening. Tinks powerful use ofthe non func
tional gene left me excited 0 see his next piece in the series, a fll
sized selfportrait, Would he stay within the non-functional vésel

section of ceramics or would he blend in other elements?

Throughout time
people have
made art to be
used as well as
Simply enjoyed. _ -».r«vesnor coment pie

line Eckman had avast arayof subjects involved in her work,
putting forth questions on the relationship betwen viewer and art
‘objet. and between space and time. Due tits hand-built nature the
piece instantly communicated with the viewer on tactile and visual
tenuous form intimidated with is instability creating a
mood conducive to the formation of relationships. Yet this also
allowed the vessel to define itself tothe viewer. ts size positioned it
‘asa sculpture, its form asa vessel, so the viewer had to combine these
‘wo components o form an opinion. Its scale ata height that came
to waist level ~ alo added to the connection by rating the piece to
the body ofthe viewer and the vesel was brought into the viewer's
time as wells space by its “contemporary fel The ats explained
that the abrupt cropping ofthe top of the vessel was in reference to
the sharp lines used in contemporary art. At the sme time, the fact.
that it was i the fla frm ofa vesel elated the piece back to
ancient cultures forms and acts (vesels having been used through-
ut history for cultural storage and shipping purposes), The rela
tionship she rated allowed art object and art viewer to redefine the
ideas surrounding ceramic. She used the genre of non-functional
‘vessels to explain tat clay san artform,

Inher piece Gaping Hole, Sylvia Nelson enlarge the definition of
ceramics by combining it with another medium in an intersting
‘method of display. She placed three mouth-shaped bowls i front of
the transferred image of the interior of an opened jar displayed on
byrliant red pape. The bowl invited us to touch but the hostile,
yelling red of the poster behind them made us reo. They were
made to be very similar and resembled melted bed pans, which
almost created an institutional feling. Some viewers did not ike this
reference and were glad that she placed each bow! slightly askew,
‘which softened the reference to hospital tool although even with
this softening you sil had no desir to se these bowl for eating.

By stressing ceramics role asa fine art one downplay he impor-
tance of functionality When discussing art one must nt forget that,
throughout the ages people have been making rt be use aswell
2 simply enjoyed When apiece i used on a daly basis the viewer is
encouraged to enjoy and contemplate the theme ofthe work with
‘very use Is function becomes apart ofthe statement. Artists have
to think bout the way the work suse so they can find ways of mak-
‘ng work that sas pleasant or unpleasant to use as possible. The way
a pice used alo changes it overtime and an artist hast keep this
alteration in mind. For example, if you make a casserole dish with

levels

‘weak glaze it wll rack off nthe oven rendering the pot ucless and
then you've got an angry patron! Functional pottery allows an arts
to struggle with both the realm of usefulness well as all the other
‘ements in at, such as politcal issues, display and construction of
work
Judy Chartrand chose o explore a subject that concerns and sur-
rounds her every day: the racism and oppresion,
inflicted on the Fist Nations Peoples of the West
‘Coast. To this end, she used an everyday vessel, a
bowl, to make her statement. The ile ofthe pice
was“ that’s what you call being civilized, rather
bea savage” Drawn on the how was an image of
Balmoral Hotes ncon sgn covered with ascttered
pater of cockroaches and bugs. The relationship
between the drawing nd the bow spoke strongly of
food and undernourishment (of the body and

was uninviing use, yet some wanted to challenge
that feng and use it anyway. Chartrand scemed to
have overlooked th chance ofthis happening for her statement on
undernourshment is negated when the bors ld
Aaron Nelsons subject in his three small bows” seemed tobe
‘hei function. Thee thick viscous laze oozed ike melted mozzre-
1a, This visual reference to food was 4 initng that viewers demand:
cathe bowls be taken out of their Plexighss encasement so they
ould hold them. The lationship between their usefulness and their
‘closure seemed tobe the mos important element in his statement.
In placing the bowls in P
stressed the importance of use in the genre of functional ceramics by

glass case mounted on the wall he

isallowing it, His use ofa conventional method of displaying arto
splay functional potry expressed the idea that pethaps galleries,
and artis should start reshaping their ways of displaying potery
This question ofthe responsibility ofthe in ars to redefine them:
selvsin order to include ceramics isan important theme fo cram:

ists, curators, at historians and the at audience
‘Another important element in function
was discussed in Kali Birds tepot and two sauces She used an
ancient Chinese technique of connecting afunnel-shaped
the base ofthe pot tothe top This creates a pot whose functionality
is hidden bya sculptural outer layer. Birdsall constructed the encase
‘ment and ld fom a complicated system of layers and connections of
‘lay, She then covered these with oles to make it appear non-unc
tional, By making them aware of the sculptural element of her func
tional pot, she confused her viewers and reminded them loud and

lea that pottery is more than just cups and bows

om

‘1° Thatts What You Cl Being Civllzed Pd Rather Be “Savage”

"Wendy Crowe, Tes For Two

Sabrina Kesh, Fist Second and Third Generation