I feel so meditative in my studio, almost to the point of the works being a collaboration between the tension in the clay and the ideas in my mind.ĬULTURED: And when did that ability to let go click for you?Īibel: It was always somewhat “built in” to my understanding of the material, but it was when I started firing in my own kiln in my studio that I realized the whole process could be so much more expansive and intuitive. It’s a constant balance of being flexible but discerning, determined but unattached to the outcome. Sometimes I will sit down to make one thing and a completely different piece comes out of it. If the clay doesn’t want to do what I had it doing in my mind, then I have to switch gears, reimagine the concept or the technique or even the piece itself. You can coax clay and you can manipulate clay, but you can’t force clay.
So in a lot of ways, it’s like clay is Earth, and it’s a metaphor for our time on Earth. You really leave it to the kiln gods.ĬULTURED: Tell me about what clay has taught you.Īibel: Working with clay has changed the entire way I view my life, honestly! Feldspar, the main material of clay, is the most abundant mineral group in the Earth’s crust. Obviously I have an idea of what I’m trying to achieve, but this is one of the few places in my life where I can relinquish control and just be with the process. And then they just morphed into this kind of tight framework in which I could tell a story.ĬULTURED: In your process you allow the materials and alchemy to lead a bit.Īibel: I love not holding on too tight to the outcome I want and kind of being able to be flexible and moving with whatever the clay brings. that’s how the briefcases began, as escape cases. What would I bring? What would I need? To just have a go bag ready and waiting for the moment I needed to tap out of my life. What are the boundaries of work and life when you’re an artist and a mom with three young kids? And I started fantasizing about escape. Tell us more about them.Īibel: I was thinking a lot about work: what it means to work, all the different forms it can take. You know, just some small themes.ĬULTURED: And Adam gave you your first solo show, right?Īibel: Yes, “I Quit” at A Hug From the Art World.ĬULTURED: Yes, those escape cases. And then I’m going to do something more esoteric, more about the breakdown of bodies, society, and culture.
I’m going to make a direct, somewhat comedic reference to syphilis, because if it’s not funny, it’s just terribly depressing. Sarah Aibel: I’m making a few new works specifically for the show. CULTURED: You’re in the upcoming “Syphilis Too (II)” show curated by Anton Kern and Adam Cohen at David Lewis.
0 kommentar(er)
