‘A Life of Clay’.
This a link to my finished dissertation:
My dissertation takes the form of an object biography of the material of Estonian Cambrian clay. It explores the narrative of my making of the Kunda vessels, and a fictional constructed narrative of a prehistoric maker of pots along the same North Estonian coastline. The two narratives are grounded by contextual academic footnotes. The research and writing involved in my dissertation became very intertwined with my art practice last semester. There is a close relationship between this piece of writing and the installation of the Kunda Pair in the Kunda River.
Here is a few extracts from the conclusion section:
p.10-11:
“The two narratives preceding this tell of two encounters with Cambrian clay. They serve to plunge the reader into two journeys. The first journey is an account of my own, the second is one of a fictional character in a prehistoric setting. Both of these take place within the landscape of the Northern coast of Estonia.
These pieces of writing are a biographical exploration of me as an artist through the material that I use. Clay has become the central element to my art practice as a means of discovering knowledge of landscape. To illustrate this relationship to clay I have approached the material through the method of an object biography.
Object biographies give lifespans to things. This idea was first suggested by Kopytoff (1986), that things could be written about just as people are, from birth, through life, to death. An object biography provides a metaphor for expressing the way that objects are fundamental to human activity and allows a demonstration of the series of changes and movements that evidence this (Gosden, C. and Marshall, Y. 1999 p. 169).
Within a report by Mímisson (2020), equal weighting of human and material elements forms a life record of an excavated site. The position of this body of research identifies the co- dependency of material – stone, and person – Þorkell (the inhabitant), in creating life in this place. The life being articulated as both material and human; “His material relations endowed Þorkell at Búðarárbakki with life, in the same manner as the stone themselves, through their human relations, acquired life.” (Mímisson, K. 2020 p. iv). This gives an appropriate affirmation of the connection between people and materials, especially in regard to makers and their material.
Cambrian clay is a material that has accumulated histories. Through the first act, of digging up this substance, a relationship is established, and this material is activated. It comes from the ground and is eventually returned there, to decay. Being part of geology, clay has a longevity that is able to witness many interactions. In turn, amassing a weighted significance to our history.”
p.12:
“The journeys explored through my writing, at Kunda and Narva, are employing the overarching structure of an object biography. Within that, narrative and fiction are used as an activated framework for a grounded academic context. The importance of physical engagement with my surroundings, in order to learn about them, is essential to my art practice. To communicate this approach in written form seems only possible through writing in a way that is equally alive and moving. Creating stories to carry forward theoretical ideas is an attempt to bring to life the materials and people that, through their interactions, form cultures and leave behind the evidence that is collected into history.”
p.14-15:
“Through my connection to clay I activate the material into a series of exchanges. I work with the material through the information it has gathered in previous lifecycles. My approach to clay in my practice is very similar to the structure of an object biography, from excavation, to activation, to reinstallation into its landscape. These actions leave marks. Unavoidably we all litter traces of ourselves. From my making, and the making of those before, sherds are distributed. The cycles of life and material that repeat within different contexts present a pattern. In breaking this down and then collecting the broken pieces we can trace our connections to our ancestors.”
Since finishing the writing I have been floating around a little bit, trying to find the path forward. I have a plan now, which builds on this body of work and ideas but is also moving onwards.
