all these three were presented in a pitch black room with a single spot light in a location that was partially under construction and had been ignored for a long time.
the reason for choosing a place such as this was that over the past few years, this thought has been growing onto me, that, the political condition of this country has been forgotten incessantly. everyone who steps to "power" tends to play with the tendons of this fragmented country as if it were their toys, and when they are
absconded from power, all the affairs lie in shambles.
there are many of us who would follow a party for the sake of loyalty despite knowing how the hardball is being played. twisted power struggles that leave the people and the economy strangled with no escape routes.
Pakistani politics just like their movies has had its round of applause, too early. too early have the leaders left us, too early have we become apathetic to the present situation, too early have we stopped caring for the freedom we take for granted.... too early have we let go.
This was a slip casting project and an introduction towards instillation art. We were required to chose objects of interest that could be slip-casted and be used in this instillation project.
I chose the cap of a perfume bottle (j adore by Christan Dior). standing alone, it almost has the appearance of a silent figure.
these were my mini instillation that act as individual pieces yet they are like small maquettes for every concept that accompanies them.
This instillation is called the 'Balance.' The modules hang loosely dipping either out or inwards of the sphere.
This instillation is a silent comment on power play called the 'Chess.'
'The Silent Dialogue.'
'The Evolution'
"Who', was my personal favorite out of all 6 instillation options. This instillation consists of 12 silent multiples. These pieces are hollow, and only one was glazed from the inside, yet on the outside all 12 look identical. These pieces were placed on a piece of glass which was elevated above a mirror that showed the inside of all the pieces.
The concept behind this piece was myself. i have always been very gullible when making friends, trust and dependability have always been very easy to offer, and i have suffered a lot, and learned a lot too. All people look the same, we can never know who they actually are. Life has taught me that there are soo many layers to the human mind that it is impossible to even try and fathom them all and surely impossible, almost self-indulgent to suppose that we know a person, because the truth is that we don't even know who we are, and a lot of times we may even surprise ourselves by our own actions when we dwell upon them in retrospect.
the first part of the assignment required a paper sculpture inspired by a given photograph. i used paper mache and crisp sheets of kite paper. along with ink, woolen thread and cardboard.
this was the second part of the assignment where we had to take the first part forward, incorporating a different style.
Rich puffs of invigorating aroma gurgling tenderly over a gentle flame, steady hands, impatient fingers tapping away softly at the counter, blurry thoughts, long nights and complex bites of life. It felt as if, it hid something somewhere within it’s brooding bubbling. Somewhere deep within its intoxication was an answer to the unfathomable. Magical, almost mythical is intoxication, just as ‘the unfathomable’ is alluring. Tea, almost magically landed into our lives when tea leaves mysteriously flew into Emperor Shen Nung’s cup of hot water on a cold raw morning around 2700 BC in China.
Tea itself and its uses have evolved since the days of old and yet unlike the ways of the ancient, It has never lost it’s demand. From traditions like the Sado (tea ceremony) and swanky tea parties to impeccably packed packets or more commonly referred to ‘tea bags’, tea has undoubtedly seeped into the finer fabric of life.
It became a curious thought for me that how little I had noticed tea’s lingering presence in my life. Well, being an obstinate coffee devotee, tea was never my choice. I was a late entry into tea’s lair. Only recently had my interest diverged towards it, probably after my first slip casting project. We were required to design a teapot. While discussing the project my teacher mentioned how having tea at her place required all manner of propriety and preparations, something I had only come to see at the end of formal dinners at my place. I thought, surly one could not be expected to set-up a proper tea-set along with a tea-cozy before tea, why would it demand such respect, it was after all only a beverage. I had to see for myself to understand.
I have come to believe, the true tea enthusiast would only be able to answer my questions. I on the other hand have only reached a state where I can appreciate and indulge in tea, be it green, black or any other color.
The project required us to design the teapot, produce it’s molds, formulate 1200̊c casting slip and glazes and the final teapots, fired to their temperature, and completely functional.
This was my very first multi-piece mold. Section .A labeled underneath was a the two piece section of the main body and spout of the teapot. Section .B labeled underneath was a one piece section of the lid rest and Section .C labeled underneath was a one piece section of the foot.
detailed and separated documentation during the mold making process labeled as per the already labeled sections:
Next step was formulating the casting slip and the glazes. A number of glazes were tested on a spare teapot :
Apart from the regular color experiments in plain base glazes i also tried experimenting with copper, rubbing oxides, glaze splashing, dipping, crazing, crackling glazes, Indian ink, pressure spraying and brushing.
One of the requirement was a clean teapot without any glaze on the outside.
the last two pictures underneath were just an experiment with form, wax emulsion and thick casting slip.
I have come to realize life is too short, and provides us with too few opportunity for us to waste. Too few for us to be able to label situations and things undesirable without even having to judge them or without even trying to connect with them and the pleasures they may behold.
out of the four styles used, one was selected to make a final piece. my inspiration was anna hole's work where she creates huge structures that form fire sculptures. they are covered with ceramic blankets and then fired once.
The final firing still remains. - this blog will be updated as soon as that happens.
