06 Identity

Hello long time no see Steemit community and followers!

I have finally produced another work for the past few weeks. I brought it to the Steemit community first to share!
No one else has seem this work except my studio mates and my instructor. So these are like newborn babies to me.

i did not have trouble naming these circular sculptures since i wanted to do a "kintsugi" method on my ceramic forms. which is filling in cracks or different broken ceramic wares with gold inlay.

Unfortunately as a struggling student working with minimum budget, I did not realize 2gram of gold dust (24K) could be so expensive...! I was expecting it to be pricey but not to the point that a an eye shadow size dust would cost so much.
Okay leaving the shock behind how expensive gold dust was (oviously).
I was recommended to use a gold leafing pen (the package states that it contains 18K gold believe it or not)
Which was a great material for the price, and i fell in love with this new medium!

Any form of Craft requires certain degree of craftsmanship. For Ceramic’s case, when a potter fires hundred pots only the best will survive and other defective objects will end up in the pile dumpster. Shattered and forgotten and buried. This process is required for the craftsman to let go of their greed and obsession of materiality. In the other hand, a Japanese technique, collage of broken ceramic pieces glued together with rosin or epoxy mixed with powdered gold is called Kintsugi.

Essential practice of Kintsugi is to fill the cracks and rejoining the shattered pieces or occasionally missing parts are replaced with another shard. By rejoining the broken parts it is considered to be a transformation rather than fixing it. It is not just about putting the pieces that has been broken back together. It is about a total reinvention of the object in which the shattered pieces are alchemized into a whole new beautiful, thriving masterpiece.

Its an concept of re birth rather than re-use. Rumi, the great Persian poet once said:

                                                          “The wound is the place where the light enters you.” 

Personally finding the idea of Kintsugi related to the idea of multiculturalism, harmony different cultures that is often pursued as Canadian Identity. I wanted to bring in my self as South Korean and my experience as immigrant and Canadian. Rather than differentiating what is my identity through this work I was hoping to convey that both my perspective could form a brand new identity as 1.5 generation Korean-Canadian.
Also referencing Korean artist Soo Kyung Yee’s works, Translated Vases (2002-ongoing). Pieces joined together creating a new context fascinated me and my questioning of being a young immigrant.

As for the process of making, I made precisely measured round slabs of different kinds of clay. The property of the Clay is that once the water dehydrates (as clay dries) the size shrinks depending on the content of the clay. Also during firing any combustable material (fiber and etc) will cause the clay to shrink too. Some clay shrinks about 10% while other kinds shrink to almost 20%. Usually an scale from 7~20 %. So I have mixed up several kinds of clay that shrinks differently. Rolled it to a thin slab and cut it into a round circles. Once the clay was semi dry, I randomly shattered the perfectly round discs. using these broken pieces I placed it inside a plaster mold i made (plaster absorbs water) and poured a another type of clay called "slip", which is a type of a pourable liquid clay. One the water is absorbed to a handball state i took it out of the mold and fired to suitable temperature. During the firing it allows for a second crack which is unidirectional caused all by the clays properties and the heat of the firing.

Doing ceramics or even mankind of art. Practicing it to be a perfectionist is critical but sometimes tiring.
I wanted to explore that the "crack" and shatters are okay, its all part of the process and even if its the final result. Theres always something to fill the cracks up and it makes it even more valuable!

Thank you always for spending your time viewing my work and following and donating and voting up for me
I am reading all the comments, so please don't hesitate to leave any feedbacks or just say hello!.
i wish you all a productive day Steemit community!