e-J^ uUft i^W
CONTENTS * * * * * * * *
INTRODUCTION Z * * * * * * * * * * * *
SOME INSIGHTS ^ * * * * * * * * * * * * *
THE ROCKPOOLS * * * * * * * * * * * *
THE RITUAL PIECES ^^ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
CHOICE, SENTINEL, FOREST S P I R I T , THE WEIGHT J OP VYEALTH AND ADVENTURE, MESSENGERS.
TECHNIQUE S ^ * * * * * * * * *
GLASSES * * * * * * *
COLOUR * * * * * *
FUTURE * * * * * *
INTRODUCTIOK ************
This message is a research into my v/ays of working, influences that have helped to shape my work, description of the
pieces and technique used to create them, Ji'y work can be divided into tv/o
distinct types : the Rockpools and the Ritual pieces. 'Ihe Rockpools can be seen as fingerprints of the land/seascape.
The Ritual pieces are manifestations of some of my ideas which have evolved from travels in Nigeria in the summer of 1987/88.
The idea of lost spiritualism in modern day society is beautifully described by Joan Halifax, in a passage called:
'The end of time' from her book SHAMAN, the wounded healer.
'The end of time'
'The primordial mythological age, when men and women awakened to create of their dreams and visions coherent, transmittable reckonin,<^s, the time when they gave names and shapes to the energies of nature and the cosmos, when the inexplicable and secretly felt gods v/ere given faces and forms, that epoch of millennia has come to an end. The archaic myths were borne across vast geographical territories
and enormous spans of time, preserved and transmitted through numberless generations. Superficially, these traditions
trans-formed in response to history and
geography; and in time- in our generation-it appears as though we are wgeneration-itnesses to the painful demise of the ancient gods. Uietzsche's Zarathustra proclaimed the death of all the gods, and the obituaries of local deities can be read in our daily newspapers as the impact of V/estern
Even as the old gods are diminishing, the seers and prophets of the ancient times are yet alive; and for a brief period, a decade, perhaps tv/o, we can embrace the
entire sacred history of our planet before it dissolves in the powerful presence of the biomechanical, traneindustrial age that is now upon us. Tens of thousands of years of history, yet alive, but
predictably to die- and this century is the threshold of its passing. And so we turn our heads to regard our living heritage, perhaps for the last time, to
e^cplore the lifeways transmitted to us
from the healer-priests of the Palaeolithic, to know their traditions, and to be
SOME INSIGHTS **** ********
One has to analyse ones work to be able to continue artistic practice. But where does the analysis start? V/here do the dangerzones of total pursuit of concept or technigue and skill take place?
I am aware there are many theories on form, colour, concepts and skills. But where does one want to fit in? It is not my intention to chase other peoples theories, on which to build my ideas, on which to choose what colours to use and sculptural forms to create» 'Every work of art is the child of its age and, in many cases, the mother of
our emotions. It follov/s that each period of culture produces an art of its own which can never be repeated. Efforts to revive the art-principles of the past will at best produce an art that is still-born.'2
I have always tried to give my work a sense of mystery and timelessness, but by giving titles to the work I guide
the viewer on a path of thought, although no concrete answers are given. The ritual is not described.
It is not accidental that I ended up making pieces with multiple components, which are all different from eachother, although based on a similar format: They are based on the carrying of vessels, the
importance of a liquid or substance held within them and the significance of the carrier. The vessels are being carried and at the same time being offered^ I prefer the development of an idea (format) v/ith limitless possibilities rather than the development of a form, with variation in seize and colour.
V/hile I v/as investigating my ideas on the ritual pieces I read an article by Edwin L. Wade called Keo^^^iSiiiXiS™
Wade writes: 'True to the nature of ancient or so-called primitive art, the
ob.iect exist beyond the parameters of its creator's intention or the immediate concerns of the culture which nourished him. It has transcended into a universal communicative presence which demands
contemplation and denies the whim of style»'3 This reminded me also of the description
I gave to the glass '£all I made in ^^P,8: The work I am referring to is a brick wall, consisting of 16 glass bricks. 4 by 4 bricks, like a grid. On one side there are tv/o
images which get repeated. One of a figure (man or women) sitting in a corner, the other image is of different projections of cogs. On the other side is one overall image of a big figure sitting or standing in a landscape v/ith four rivers. This work can have so many different meanings.
It is influenced by machines and computers which are some of the tools with which it is made, and over which one can not have total control. So I am not the only
First of all it is a wall, which calls for so many different interpretations, depending on where or by whom it is viewed. In Berlin it would have a different meaning than in China, A person who sandblasts buildings will view it different than somebody who just left jail. These are just a few exam-ples. So the wall can,stand for: seclusion, protection, isolation, work, borders,
non communication. But by closer look it is not a v/all at all, there is nothing that holds the bricks together. Then the image in the corner can stand for: isola-tion, fear, meditaisola-tion, loneliness, loss of identity. The cogs could represent
machines, the mind, repetition. The figure on the other side might be a god or a devil, a supreme ruler or your father. It seems
I do admire simplicity because of its
meditative and calming qualities, and if
I had to choose between a Rothko and a
Kiefer I would say I take both. This is
one of the reasons apart , from it bein;5
a demonstration of skill, that I decided to
cast the ^ r o s s •
Although I have used the casting
technique in all my pieces, the variations
and interrelationships between types of
glasses, seizes, colours and forms are so
complex that every piece is a challenge.
Another recognizable thread in my work is
the way I finish the pieces, I always
vary the surface texture from rough(straight)
from the mold) to semipolish, polish
or buff. The vessels of the dishes have
a polished flat rim, which allows one to
see the structure and sometimes the
innerform reflection of the vessel.
THE ROCKPOOLS **** **********
Through my years of study I made three different types of rockpools. The first were blown, fused with coloured crushed glass and paint. The second were blown, with dipping in the furnace technique.
The third type being kilncast» By the end of third year I found the kilncast rockpools were the most satisfactory. I favour the translucency of cast work with a rough finish more than the
the making of the plaster mold, wax model and finally creating the finished
rockpool vessel in glass. The taking of
the clay model is a pleasant way of spending time near the ocean. People think you
are mad, emptying out a rockpool, packing it with clay and lifting it out. Is this performance or geology?
So the vessels depend on my whereabouts at a particular place and time. That is why I title them with the place of
The vesaelg are very rough arid complex in shape. Everytime I make one I am surprised by the force that has been apart of its making which seem.s to linger in its form,
Minkowski 'If, having fixed the original form in our mind's eye, v/e ask ourselves how that form conies alive and fills v/ith
life, we discover a nev; dynamic and vital category, a new property of the universe: reverberation(rentenir), It is although a wellspring existed in a sealed vase and its v;aves, repeatedly echoing against the sides of this vase, filled
it with their sonority,,,, with
penetrating deep waves which, although not sonorous in the sensory meaning of the word, are not, for this reason, less harm.oniously resonant, melodic and
capable of determining the whole tonality of life. And this life itself will
reverberate to the most profound depths of its being, through contact with these waves, which are at once sonorous and silent,,,. It is not a material object v;hich fills another by espousing the form that the other imposes.
Wo it is the dynamism of the sonorous life itself which by enfrulfin?^ and appropriating everything: it finds in its path, fills
the slice of space, or better, the slice of the world that it assigns itself by its movement, making it reverberate, breathing into its own life,'4
Wade "Ihis quality of retentir is also true, to a degree, of all great art, as it alludes to the intangible inspirational aestetic presence which moves the viewer
into a contemplative plane of abstraction.'5 In some way I hope m.y Rockgools can be
THE RITUAL PIECES *** ******
One of the questions put forward through the ritual/offerinfr pieces is the
question if one refuses or takes part in a offered ritual..
This series of work are divided into different types. Ones where the ritual takes place within the piece like
Sentinel and to a degree Messengers, and the pieces with the vessels named
2£irit, ^ e Weight of Wealth and Adventure who offer the viev/er a chance to make up a ritual.
These vessels can be used to carry or offer a substance. People ask me often what does one use the vessels for, I
sometimes say I do not care, but most of the time I am pleased that I have at
least achieved the fact that the viewer will have to use some imagination,
the pieces are not clear cut objects of recognizable use. All the pieces have a story to tell. My aim for all the pieces has always been to make sure that each com.ponent is a strong enough form to stand on its own, only then the constructed
C H O I C E * * * * * *
Choice w a s the f i r s t of the r i t u a l p i e c e s that evolved f r o m travels in lligeria. vYe travelled t h r o u g h the c o u n t r y s i d e n e a r Idah, in the c e n t r a l state of Benue, a p l a c e on the r i v e r N i g e r , Before being allowed to v i s i t the Juju v i l l a g e s we had to be introduced to the E m i r of the d i s t r i c t . We w e r e offered some cola nuts f r o m a r o u g h l y carved d i s h , the M i g e r i a n c o f f e e so to s a y , but k n o w i n g the b i t t e r
taste, does one r e f u s e or take p a r t ? Choice o r i g i n a l l y had f i v e d i f f e r e n t coloured c u p s in the d i s h , and s t r a n g e l y n i n e out of ten p e o p l e w o u l d a l w a y s pick u p the same blue c u p . This m a d e m e think
SEKTIT^EL ********
One who keeps the v/atch, the guardian. \Vhat is being guarde^i, the precious ring or the void? What is the void or used to be there a piece that has been rernoved? A precious ring binds the sentinels together. vVho are they? Knights in
uniform, individuals but in uniform. Kiasks V/hat are they discussing. Can we take part in the ritual or are things being decided outside us? Is the ritual in our minds
in trying to find out what it is that should be guarded? The heads are boxed in,punkers,. Iv'iOhawks , helmets.
There are faces on all sides of the head. The guts are taken out to carry and
guard something. The piece can exist with less than eight guards, two will be
FOREST SPIRIT ****** ******
ITiis piece is about undoiTiesticated human beings,
I came on a path of thought for this piece after reading about the initiation rites among the Bobo of Upper Volta.
'Among the Bobo of Upper Volta, at the time chosen for the initiation three chickens for every boy and two for every girl are burnt; then both groups are led
to the entrance of the village, where they are forced to lie on the ground. The masked men, the spirits of the forest, covered by
extraordinary masks, jump and yell in a terryfying manner and, as they emit
piercing shrieks, they beat the earth with branches raising blinding dust. Their
shrill yells seem to come out of nowhere... When fear has completely taken hold of the initiates, they are pushed by their fathers towards one of the masked men, v/ho beats him mercilessly with his whip. The child
holds hiia firmly in front of the 'spirit' who keeps on hitting hiiti; then suddenly
the mask falls off and the child finds himself in front of someone he knows, possibly even a relative. The elders
intervene and warn him to keep the secret from the others or else he will be
sub.iected to tlie most dreadful punishments. It is at precisely at this moment that the youn^ people realize the ties between the human and the superhujTian, by learning
to see that the sacred thinf^s are a live and a real part of everyday life, Tlie masks really are the 'spirits' that they
represent during the ceremony but they are also the men of the village. The rites last several days in the ordinary life of the group, and yet it is a
mythical period, a magic journey to the most distant times, v/hen the spirits
lived on earth'6
My m.emories went back to Northern Spain, where on one of our travels we made camp on the edge of a forest. The day was on its way out when we heard the most chilling
What was this creature? Animal or human, a yeti, a undornesticated human being, We never stayed to find out and drove at least a hundred miles to get rid of
the chill in our bones.
This is why the legs (carriers) are strong but of changing colour, they try to embrace the golden cups but the disc(forest) with its labyrinth of coloured lines
THE ;7EIGKT OF WEALTH AHD ADVEKTURE *** ****** ** ****** *** *********
This piece is about dressing up. The display and weight of wealth. The
diamonds(vessels) are heavy and spiked, their weight is visible in the carriers of the clear translecent disli. The
spikes can turn into weapons for
protection. The top of the 'legs'(carriers) a reminder of mosks, temples and castles
in e:xotic places, where the display of v/ealth of supreme rulers have become
MESSEKGERS *******-if * *
The piece which is titled is a further development of the four previous pieces, Not one of the components can be removed without destroying the whole structure. Can that be the message? The figures wear masks and cloaks,
suggesting that they could be Highpriest or Executioner, The gender is ambigious and irrelevant. The Messengers stand in
two circles facing eachother: defender and attacker. What message do they give eachother? They are linked with five
pieces of polished glass of a microcosmic nature which bare resemblences to the hilts of swords but also outstretched wings. The only clear glass part of the piece are the cups, so they must hold
the message. Although they are empty, a vague view is visible of the thread
that links the pieces together.
TEGHKIQUE *********
The technique I practiced most durin.p: my studies is glass casting in kilns.
The procedure is as follows,.
Firstly I make a plan/drawing of the piece• Then a model is made, this can be from clay, wood, plaster, cardboard or metal. Prom this model a master plaster mold (negativ) is made. Depending on the complexity of the model this plaster can be a one-part mold up to any number.
The Rock£ools, even the baby ones, required seven parts, which was the highest number
I made. Once this plaster negativ exist multiple waxes can be made. Around the wax a refractory mold is made. Often poured, sometimes handbuild this depending on the form. An even heatdistribution is necessary for a good casting result, so one tries to have the walls of the mold even on each side of the model.
The end of the hose is placed through a gridded metal fran^e, or which rest the mold, v/ith big or tall molds it is a
good idea to cover the mold with some towels or blanket while steam.dng out, this stops the top of the mold from coolino; by the outside temperture.
After steaming, the mold should be cleaned out properly. Often clay residues will
find their v/ay in. V/ashing/rinsing the mold in combination with airpressure is usually sufficient, 'uhlle v;ashing, one can messure the contents of the mold and so calculate the glass needed to fill the
mold. One liter of v;ater becomes approximately two and a half kilo's of glass.
Now the mold has to be dried out. This can be done in various ways. Firstly one can use a clothes drier. Secondly the mold can be put on top of a furnace. And thirdly in a kiln. In the kiln, with the door
slightly a,1ar to let the steam escape, I
This is rny schedule for empty molds. If the glass is already been put into the mold I do not take the temperture past
550 C.
I always cover the molds with fibrefrax sheeting and a few lensrths of nicroom wire. This is a back-up and in case of a badly cracked mold it will protect
the kiln»
vVhen all the water has disappeared from the mold I will then take the temperture straight up to around the 900 degrees. I have found that most glasses will
'run' at this temperture, I always soak the mold for at least one hour before introducing the glass.
The actual kilncasting I have done in three different ways. Depending on the effect in finished look I want to achieve. Firstly the mold is prepacked with the glass. This- way I usually use for the
dishes. Because of the big surface exposure to heat and cold, refilling at high
tempertures is not advisable. It will cause too much schock to the glass.
The second way to cast is when the mold is taken up to casting temperture empty, and the glass is fed straight into the mold. Depending on the type of glass particles and colouring agents one can achieve different effects. A big amount of oxides or bodystains mixed with fritted glass v/ill cause the glass to look 'stony'.
Cut flat glass pieces will give an even look, but this way can result in airbubbles in unv;anted places.
The last and to my way of thinking most succesful casting technique is to use an empty crucible on top of an empty
mold. I use different seizes Italian made terracotta flower pots. They are easy to fill. The glass will fuse and make already a homogeneous mass before it enters the mold. Colours are mixed in well. Tiny airbubbles as aposed to larger ones.
But not all glasses will 'run' very well through a flowerpot so this technique is not always possible.
GLASSES *******
I have used many different types of glasses. 'Che bests results I have had with Desag a german made glass. This glass comes in approximately tv/enty
different colours. The only problem with this glass in compatibility. Some of the colours are sometimes compatible with the clear Desag. The colours are rich and at the same time subtle.. The finish straight from the .mold is beautiful.
Bullseye,. an American glass. This is a harder, slower flowing glass then Desag, But the great advantage is the enormous range of compatible colours.
Long live Perrier. I have used through the years quite a bit of Perrier bottles.
Apparently Perrier's furnace is in action for seven years. Their recepe has been established for more than one hundred years. Perrier bottles are good to use
in open or prepacked molds.
helae because of mysterious reasons is not very reliable. Hopefully,because it
is a beautiful ,<Tlass when it does work, these problems will resolve themselves in the future. I have not been able to have pinned the problem down. There does
COLOUR ******
I always say colour is unimportant for my pieces. I can see them also made out of wood or bronze. But I do work in glass,
'fhe most versatile medium of all. But of course colour is important. I have changed my colour sense a few times. My paintings and drawings started very tonal and dark.
Then in third year I went for colour, I blww a lot of vessels that year and red seemed to be unavailable. This is when my paintings became redder and redder,
I painted some vessels in similar style. But the results did not satisfy me. The paint stayed to much on the surface.
The technique of painting on glass did not suit m_e, With exeption of the painting on vessels with crushed glass particles. I decided to keep painting to a canvass and to try to get the colour v/ithin the glass.
I do decide on colours for the piece.
colours I will be using. Sometimes I decide while the piece in in process.
This is another reason why I enjoy
working on the multiple component pieces. They have a guide line which is the
black line drawing, but each part as to be modelled to suit and fit the piece. Sometimes I start v/ith the carriers, other times with the cups. The dish usually follows one or the other. So it has become as if building up a painted structure, IViy work is not about colour only. For this reason I try to stay away from bright opaque colours. I would like people to see the form and message
before colour.
FUTURE ******
A logical development after the pieces I produced, is the combination of the R0ck£00ls and the Ritual pieces.
With this I mean the assembly of the individual components of the ritual/ offering pieces in the wax-stage, of which one big mold is made. This I
started already by casting 52SS Pom^ei, The possibilities are again
limitless and only restricted by the extend of ones imagination. As in Pompei where nature caused a city to freeze in time, I now freeze the ritual. To further add to this illusion I have left a residue of some substance in some of the cups, and also broken off some parts of their rims.
BIBLIOGRAPHY * * * * * * * * * * * *
SEE BOOKS LISTED BELOW.
FOOTNOTES *********
1 Joan Halifax, SHAIvlAIJ, The,wounded healer,
London. Thames and Hudson,1982
page 31•
2 vVassily Kandinsky, Concernin,^ the
Art.
Dover Publications,Inc, New York, 1977 page 1 ,
3 Edwin L Wade, Neo-^imitivism and the
Sacred in ^ e Eloquent Object, Tulsa,
The Biilbrook LIuseum of Art, 1987, ^p 274
i Polco Quilici, M ^ e ^.^sterious world of_
Ivlagic, Sydney, Bay Books, 1980, p 112/113
