Thrown Clay Responses

The formation of cells and my simulations have been a key point of reference for the creation of these clay sculptures; as such – when it came to developing them further – I returned to my simulations to see how best I could physically replicate the fluid, fibrous interiors. The solution I came to was to modify the extruder by sealing off the ends and forcing the clay out of the seams and cracks. This created a feathered, straggly strip of clay that I played of the original formations that were thrown on the wheel to try and mimic the texture and detail that can be found in microscope imagery of real cells as well as my simulated ‘fake cells’.

Within my exhibition, I intend to have a mix of physical and digital media to allow for there to be something tactile and tangible within the space and ground by video work into reality. In order to achieve this, I planned to develop the outcomes that I began to create on the pottery wheel - as I am yet to find another method that can mimic the abstract and biological nature of these outcomes. Once I had made and fired a substantial number of sculptures I stacked them together to mimic the layered and complex structural formations that can be seen in microscopic imaging of cellular formations.