Diminution was a six-month self-directed pottery practice. It explored clay as a material and the pottery wheel as a collaborator. The practice began with the goal of consistently making symmetrical pots but shifted to embracing imperfections and “pottery flops”. Each piece became a research artifact, lying on the spectrum between intentional accidents and uncontrolled failures.
Unpredictability as design
During my practice, I became more intrigued by the intricate relationship between the potter, the clay, and the wheel. I sought to capture the intangible forces at play within this dynamic—the momentum of the wheel, the potter’s touch, and the malleable nature of the clay.
I used specific movements to shape the pieces, but the forms were always at the mercy of uncertainty. This unpredictability meant that no two forms could ever be replicated exactly, making each one uniquely precious. With every piece, I released a fraction of the weight of perfection. You see, it all began with an intention to heal through making.
Unfired state as symbol of impermanence
The question I began with was: Can I derive meaning from an open-ended process of making? The meaning was in the changed perspective I gained from discovering my own “voice” in pottery, the meditative experience of making, and the non-linguistic introspection that came with it. The pieces served as symbolic representations of the process leading to the changed perspective. It felt true to the nature of the project to leave the final pieces in their bone-dry, unfired state (I was very inspired by Phoebe Cummings). Process and perspective are both impermanent, after all.