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Duncan the clay master - 30.4.2020

Updated: May 18, 2020

My note's on today's lecture taught by Duncan Hooson, Master of clay and community engagement.

How is clay formed?

-Erosion: rock—> riverbed —> fine clay

-Riverbed is the best place to seek clay cause the constant stream refines the quality of clay


What defines difference of earthenware, stoneware and porcelain:

-Maturing Temperature, plasticity, colour


Why is ball clay called ball clay?

-They made it into balls of clay for transportation


China clay(British recreation of China porcelain)

kaolin(old name of China clay, the name is still widely used in cosmetic, morphine)

Bone China: invented in Stoke Places to import porcelain: Australia, new Zealand, China etc


digging and reclaiming clay:

-Slaking: Dig 1m down, dry out clay, add water, 40 mash Sieve

-Identify clay bodies and soil: clay will be sticky for wet finger, if it's too sandy it won't work

-firing test temperature suggestion: 1000c

-Fireclay: add 5-10% plasticity to reclaimed clay, sold in potclays in wet state

-Borax Frit mixed in to make it stick to sagger


**Shorter: texture of less flaccid reclaimed clay because the smaller particles that generates plasticity in clay is left in the water, resolve by leaving it in the water longer to get them back Into the clay


coloured picture of a bacteria living in clay

Interesting notes from Emma, queen of porcelain:

-Pottery Jingdezhen: Thrown thick and turn thin

-Sedative state of matter: ceramicist tend to enjoy leather hard, unfired glazed body sometimes when customer are more into fired pieces

works/artists to look at:

Neil Brownsword

-marl hole, 2009 (documentary)

Tana west:

-unwoven, Crossing boarders, clay around the world

Alison Cooke:

- site specific work, Thames tideway and clay, Working with simply dug clay

-Doggerland: Brexit

Ackroyd & Harvey

-Dilston grove: spraying clay wall

Ideology and my soil:

-apps that informs you about earth at your spot and information about clay soil, chalk

natural history museum:

-you can book meetings about clay info?

Duncan Hoosan/ Anthony Quinn:

-clay in common: "the ground beneath our feet is quite similar"


Personal notes:

-love the matching background of the slides, very pleasing to look at

-love Emma's point about the seductive state of matter, especially the comparison of customer and ceramicists is basically the idea of outcome vs process in a nutshell. I was reminded by Liz in our last tutorial that I should be focusing on my personal interest, enjoying the process before asking for outcome in researching/matrix/interviews/practice whatever.

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