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The Vessel
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My project revolves around the notion of death, and the acknowledgement of the ephemerality of life. It is also by extension a celebration of living. The work centers around the concept and form of the vessel as a receptacle for both life and death, and the urn as a posthumous vessel for ourselves after the flesh vessel has expired.
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Furthermore, I would like to posit the idea of the personalization of the urn vessel, through form, size, colour and texture, such that, even in death, one can still possess an identity. Through a series of ceramic works handcrafted on the potter’s wheel, I aim to remind people of the finiteness of life, not to place them in despair, but instead to galvanise them to better cherish and make good their time.
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CONCEPT - Clay is of the earth, dug from the ground beneath us. Humans too are earthly beings. We essentially originate from the same source, hence clay as the chosen medium. The creation of man from clay is also a recurring theme in many world religions and mythologies. In the natural process of life, we expire and return to the earth, completing the cycle of life. Thus in a literal and metaphorical sense, the earth and clay within contain the remnants of our flesh vessels.
The storing of ashes in clay urns symbolises a metaphorical return to the earth, as our remains are placed within a vessel made of earth. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Vessel simply means 'that which contains'. Our bodies as vessels hold life, urns as vessels hold death. The urn posthumously replaces the form of our physical bodies.
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CRAFTING PROCESS - The craft of pottery is a tedious one. The entire process from raw clay to finished work typically takes about three weeks to complete. Making pottery has taught me patience and restraint. It engages the consciousness, the senses, and the emotions, requiring mindfulness and diligence in execution of craft. Learning to throw pottery on the wheel can be complicated, and the only way is to get your hands dirty with clay. It requires a sensitive touch and a certain intuition, skills which cannot be imparted through words. The process involves throwing, trimming, glazing and firing, requiring extensive knowledge in each of these aspects to master the craft. I have come to realise that a single lifetime is insufficient.
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DEVELOPMENT AND WORKS - After the initial exploration of craft and medium, an intermediate series of works was created to explore the ideals of literal and metaphorical death:
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Urns for the death and commemoration of a loved one.
The urn for my grandfather, the artist.
The urn for myself (The kintsugi urn).
The urn for metamorphosis, rebirth and death of the old self.
The catharsis urn for the death of my inner demons.
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The final works are based on the opposing concepts of Immanence & Transcendence:
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Immanence - The corporeal, physical and tangible plane of existence.
Transcendence - Ethereal, otherworldly, celestial. A shedding of the physical which binds us.
The wide forms give a sense of heft, of being grounded, while tapering into a narrow base, creating a perception of floating, alluding to an ascension toward the heavens.
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'The Vessel' was chosen for NTU's School of Art, Design & Media (ADM)'s selected showcase from among the final year projects of the class of 2019 graduating batch.
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