In my forest series – Shattered ceramics
Ceramica frantumata – shattered ceramic (CF-023) 2013 cm 227×162
These works were realised with the help of terracotta moulds, which served as a model for the bronze sheets. For the latter, instead of relying on Plasticine or on models crafted directly from wax, I decided instead on the use of modelling clay, a living material that made possible a real-time modelling effect on my apart, thus allowing me to work without unnecessary
virtuosity. Through these works, however, a sort of passage was preserved. I am referring to the modelling aspect, which is otherwise lost during the production process because, at least for me, a feeling of absence is at play, which I was able to resolve through the noble use of the model itself which in turn assimilated the characteristics of the actual work.
Ceramica frantumata – shattered ceramic (CF-020) 2012 cm 142×108
The modelling phase, a preparatory step relative to the implementation of the entire project, is one that, as can be imagined, presented the most complex dynamics. First, it was necessary to anticipate the metamorphosis of the project’s vision into a concrete work. We traversed from an assemblage of
incisions, finally arriving at a voluminous design of the bronze sheets: from a stroke we needed to arrive at a form, by way of a sort of aesthetic expansion whose final outcome was difficult to predict. The performance, therefore, was completely resolved by means of controlling the operation
which, in turn, was influenced by intuition, more so than by reason. And the finished work, as in all other cases, remained true, surprisingly, to the original anticipated vision (or shall I call it predictive vision) that I had.
The use of ceramic glazing applied to the model, therefore, became the natural culmination of this work, in fact, crystallising (and it could not have been otherwise with the use of this material) the formal content. Here too, the monochromatism (with rare exceptions) became a road knowingly inevitable for the same reasons that influenced the aesthetic selection of the bronze sheets. However, simple glazing of the clay, as it was originally modelled, was not aesthetically pleasing and therefore I searched for a solution that was consistent with the other aspects of the project. Thus i transpired that the perception gap, sought throughout the work
associated with this project, was mitigated by way of shattering (or crushing) the terracotta compositions. Moreover, the vision as it can be seen now, was in part the result of chance (something that often happens?) that influenced the final outcome. Even without taking an anecdotic approach (from which I believe we should always abstain) it is worth remembering that the occurrence that influenced the shattered aspect of the work, came about by chance, taking place during the transport of terracotta, when the material happened to break into pieces.
Un mare di nero – Ceramica frantumata – shattered ceramic (CF-034) 2013 cm 298×197
The anxiety and desire to preserve the affected work, however, influenced its final outcome. Thus through the unintended shattering, the work found, I believe, its primary reason for being. It is also quite true that many other large ceramic works, have met the same fate with my help, the only time I personally intervened in such a way: strong and calculated hammer strokes (and I mention this with a little bit of smug irony) carried out with the intent of attaining a balance of space and shape. Beyond the direct intervention of the author, the aspect that is most interesting to note is that even on this occasion, the spaces created between one side and the other of the works, have served the same function and purpose as that of the perforations and re-incisions performed on the metal sheets, namely that of destabilising the otherwise peaceful and indifferent sight of the finished work. The inevitable and automatic necessity to recompose the image as it now appears due to the shattering process, requires a quid pluris (increased) commitment from the observer, who is challenged and distracted by an otherwise undisturbed perception of the work. In reality, the observer is thus capable of a decisively more thoughtful and informed vision of the artwork.
Milan Marzo 18 2013
