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Module 8
It's all about Craft, Making and Materials
It's all about Craft, Making and Materials
Pottery and ceramics existed from the prehistoric period as our early ancestors made similar earthenware objects, from relief sculptures in caves to the figurines throughout Europe.
As communal cultures evolved worldwide, the requirements of woman/man increased. Every culture began to develop their own individual creative expressions which resulted in an awesome array of artistic forms and features made from what was readily available to them: clay.
Once humans discovered that clay could be found in abundance and formed into objects by first mixing with water and then firing, a key industry was born. Pottery may well have been discovered independently in various places, probably by accidentally creating it at the bottom of fires on a clay soil. All the earliest vessel forms were pit fired and made by coiling, which is a simple technology to learn.
Archeologists surmised that pottery was probably developed only after humans established agriculture, which led to permanent settlements. However, the oldest known pottery is from China and dates to 20,000 BC, long before the beginnings of agriculture.
The oldest known ceramic artifact is dated as early as 28,000 BCE (BCE = Before Common Era), during the late Paleolithic period. It is a statuette of a woman, named the Venus of Dolní Věstonice, from a small prehistoric settlement near Brno, in the Czech Republic. In this location, hundreds of clay figurines representing Ice Age animals were also uncovered near the remains of a horseshoe-shaped kiln.
You may remember these two beauties: The Venus of Willendorf .(c. 28,000 BCE – 25,000 BCE) And the Venus of Hohle Fels: (c. 40,000 and 35,000) But they were not made from clay, they were carved from Limestone and Mammoth tusk respectively.
The Tuc d'Audoubert Bison Reliefs (c.13,500 BCE)
The Tuc d'Audoubert caves are one of three prehistoric caves that make up a single underground network hollowed from ther foothills of the French Pyrenees.
The bison reliefs are two feet in length, eighteen inches in height and about 3-4 inches deep. They are modeled in clay, and their surface was given a wet finish in order to make them smooth. The plastic texture is such that the sculptor's finger marks are still visible along the length of the animals. The bisons' shaggy mane and beard appear to be carved with a tool, but the jaws are traced by the sculptor's fingernail. The impression given is one of immense naturalistic beauty.
More..
http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/prehistoric/tuc-daudoubert-cave.htm
The difference between Ceramics and Pottery?
The difference between Ceramics and Pottery?
Pottery only uses clay. However, ceramics can have clay and other minerals that fortify it. These fortifications come in the form of glazes, mineral additives and other ingredients in the clay body that will make it more durable.
Because pottery consists of only clay, it is porous and not watertight. On the other hand, its fragility makes it perfect for etching intricate designs.
The word 'ceramics' comes from the Greek keramikos, from keramos potter's clay.
The word 'ceramics' comes from the Greek keramikos, from keramos potter's clay.
The word 'pottery' comes from the late 15c., "a potter's workshop," from Old French poterie.
The word 'pottery' comes from the late 15c., "a potter's workshop," from Old French poterie.
The main types of pottery are:
The main types of pottery are:
Earthenware:
Potters have fired earthenware in ovens for thousands of years. During the height of the Roman Empire, it was used (as amphorae) to transport wine and olive oil to the farthest corners of their territory. But, liquids could penetrate these vessels, so goods like oil would often go rancid with repeat or prolonged use.
Unlike stoneware and porcelain, it only needs firing temperatures of 1,200° F or lower. To make it watertight, some potters who work with earthenware glaze their products. However, due to the lower firing temperature, you can still scratch and damage it with a knife. Today, most bricks used in buildings are earthenware, along with terracotta pots for plants and other housewares.
Stoneware:
Stoneware appeared after earthenware. It requires higher firing temperatures than earthenware. In most cases, our crew fires our stoneware at temperatures ranging from 2,000° to 2,400° F—hotter than lava from a volcano. Those high temperatures turn the glazes on the outside of the stoneware to glass, or vitrify (impermeable to water) it.
Unlike porcelain, which is almost always white, potters can make stoneware with multiple different clay colors today. We even combine multiple clay colors into some of our stoneware for a truly unique twist.
Stoneware pottery is strong, hard and nonporous. It’s durable, elegant and versatile; capable of being anything from a customized trophy to a baking dish. Stoneware also distributes and retains heat more evenly than other types of pottery, so it’s perfect for drinking coffee or tea.
Porcelain:
Porcelain was the last type of pottery to reach the west, finally growing in popularity in Europe and North America during the 1700s. On the other hand, it was prized in China even longer for its durability and strength.
Back in the day, potters fired porcelain at even higher temperatures than stoneware. Typically, the final firing temperature ran around 2,600° F.
Today though, the only true difference between how potters make porcelain and stoneware is that porcelain almost always uses white clay.
More here: https://www.shstoneware.com/blog-what-is-stoneware/
Early pottery
Early pottery
Methods of forming: Hand-shaping was the earliest method used to form vessels. This included the combination of pinching and coiling.
In c. 3,500 BCE Mesopotamia the wheel is invented. Later it will be applied in pottery
A stone potter's wheel found at the Sumerian city of Ur in modern-day Iraq has been dated to about 3129 BC, but fragments of wheel-thrown pottery of an even earlier date have been recovered in the same area. However, southeastern Europe and China have also been claimed as possible places of origin.
This is such a pleasure to watch!
This is a friend of ours Adam, who's parents, Jim and Dom Keeling started Whichford Pottery in England. They are best known for their terracotta pottery. Adam Keeling also created Whichford Pottery's biggest pot ever at 42″(1070mm) high by 62″(1580mm) wide.
The History of Glassmaking
The History of Glassmaking
Little is known about the first attempts to make glass. However, it is generally believed that glassmaking was discovered 4,000 years ago, or more, in Mesopotamia. The Roman historian Pliny attributed the origin of glassmaking to Phoenician sailors. He recounted how they landed on a beach near Ptolemais (in modern-day Israel), propped a cooking pot on some blocks of natron (a naturally-occurring alkali substance) they were carrying as cargo, and made a fire over which to cook a meal. To their surprise, the beach sand beneath the fire melted and ran in a liquid stream that later cooled and hardened into glass. Though this is an interesting explanation, this scenario is not possible since a cooking fire cannot reach the melting temperature of glass, and the story most likely involved Ptolemais because its beach sand was historically known to be heavily used for glassmaking.
Scholars believe that the ability to make glass developed over a long period of time from experiments with a mixture of silica-sand or ground quartz pebbles - and an alkali. Other high heat industries, including ceramics and metalworking, could have inspired early glassmakers. Perhaps the development of glass began with potters firing their wares. Could the first glass have been colorful, hard, shiny decoration fused to a clay pot's surface in the heat of the furnace? No one knows.
Eventually someone developed glass as a unique substance. A workshop would melt together the ingredients for glass and cool them to make ingots, or raw chunks, of usable glass. Glassmakers knew how to color the ingots by mixing metallic oxides into the ingredients . Popular colors for glass included royal blue and turquoise blue, colored by the addition of cobalt oxide and copper oxide, respectively, colorants which are still used today. Glassmakers were trying to imitate semi-precious stones, such as lapis lazuli and turquoise, which were valued by early cultures.
More here: https://www.cmog.org/article/origins-glassmaking
Roman glass from the 2nd century
These seventeen pieces of tesserae may have come from a Byzantine mosaic.
Evidence of stained glass dates back to the Ancient Roman Empire, when craftsman began using colored glass to produce decorative wares. While few fully in-tact stained glass pieces from this period exist, the Lycurgus Cup indicates that this practice emerged as early as the 4th century.
Read more about the Lycurgus Cup Here (new page)
The Rose window, located in Chartres Cathedral in Chartres, France. c. 1235
Chihuly, Botanical Garden in Atlanta, Georgia in 2016.
Artist of the Week- Dale Chihuly
Artist of the Week- Dale Chihuly
Dale Chihuly is an American glass sculptor, from Washington State. His works possess outstanding artistic merit in the field of blown glass, and also moving it into the realm of large-scale sculpture and environmental pieces.
Have a look through this timeline of Masterpieces of Ceramics through the Ages (new page)
Sustainable Architecture
Sustainable architecture is simply about fulfilling the needs of people without changing the ecosystem.
All very well when people lived mainly by farming. But with the advent of societal changes and more people living in city/states (especially with the advent of industry and the massive move of people from the countryside to the cities), how could building stay sustainable? Below are some examples that show that it is possible.
So what are sustainable materials?
Any successful climate protection strategy must consider residential and commercial buildings, which are responsible for almost 40 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. From houses and hotels to schools and skyscrapers, buildings in the United States use about 40 percent of the country's energy for lighting, heating, cooling, and appliance operation. It is estimated that the manufacture, transport, and assembly of building materials such as wood, concrete, and steel account for another eight percent of energy use. About 30 percent of the electricity buildings use is generated from coal-burning power plants, which release greenhouse gases, causing climate change.
EESI. “Sustainable Future: Modern Materials, Methods for Eco-Friendly Design.” Emagispace®, EESI, 19 Apr. 2018, https://emagispace.com/sustainability/eco-friendly-design/.
Cool Examples of Green Buildings Please Have a Look
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