About: Timeless Aftertaste

  Since movies and filmmaking have always been my passion outside ceramics, I want to challenge the possibility of merging traditional crafts of clay and contemporary medium of film. The imaginative explosion within the limitation of monochromatic filmmaking specifically echoes with my restrictions working at home and having no access to ceramic colouring materials due to closure of the university, which inspired me to focus this project on monochrome and minimalism. Minimalism is also the desired idea that I’ve never fully achieved in my past practice, therefore, I will be experimenting with this creative direction as well.

  The 1957 B&W film The Seventh Seal directed by Ingmar Bergman is specifically my favourite B&W movie because of its relatable concepts about faith and death. The dreadful storyline is also fitting in the context of the current situation around the globe.

  Examining my experience with watching movies, my memories of a film are usually dominated by one element only like an object or a line instead of the entire movie. For instance, the colour blue for moonlight, the crossfade frame at the end of Psycho, emotions of grief in Manchester by the sea, the linen texture in Tokyo story etc, which I describe as a timeless aftertaste. Below are the 2 questions I have when brainstorming for this project:

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  In response, I’m producing a short film showcasing a set of four ceramic sculptures as my interpretation or review of the movie, in categories of aftertastes like frame, emotion, texture and line. One of my concepts in Dear Diary was interrupting everyday objects/function-ware with sculptural elements aiming to personalize and encourage empathy towards a narrative. Since the simple large serving bowl is such an important object of the film representing the most defining moment of protagonist’s life, it will be the medium to contain and convey my timeless aftertaste of the movie. Referencing this cinematic classic with many incredible layering and inspiring notions, I will de deconstructing elements of the film with a written analysis(in the Anatomy page) and apply selected symbols on ceramic bowls.

  Lots of inspiring works were fed into my creative process. B&W classic films like Tokyo Story, 8½, Rashomon, Citizen Kane, Psycho and Rosemary’s Baby were crucial references of my filmmaking process for this project. I looked into cinematography, record and momentariness in Phoebe Cummings and Katie Spragg’s atmospheric monochrome ceramic plant sculptures/installations. Social response or commentary in ceramics are also areas I’m researching on through Kate Wilson and Barnaby Barford’s installations. Besides, figurines/function-ware made by Anastassia Zamaraeva and Maí Accents(Marzia Kjellberg) have motivated my investigation on material-led processes, I’ve learnt a lot about narratives and personalities within tangibility of clay from my interviews with the two artists as well. Detailed writings of the research above could be found in the Matrix and Diaries page on this website.

  I hope to further improve my sensitivity with materials and my hand-building skills like coiling and slabbing in this project now I can’t rely on electric wheels or well-managed/controlled working environment(temperature/space/lovely technicians).