Author Archives: Bridget Macklin

This week we were presented with the paper work for our final semester at college.  We have to produce self directed work for an exhibition.  The first sentence in the ‘blurb’ is: ‘There is only one main assignment in this unit – the self planned project’.  Harmless enough one might say – make work, stick it on a plinth, job done.  But, and it is quite a big but, I really don’t think it is as simple as that.  The document goes on to ask a number of questions which we were told it was essential that we answer for ourselves before we get very much older and while some were relatively simple:  ‘How long will you spend on research?’ others imply potential life changing decisions: ‘Who are you aiming to reach?’ and ‘Are you influenced by ecological or political concerns?’ Hmmm . . . . . In other words am I doing this just for me and my granny – God rest her soul – or would I like to be the next BIG thing?  Good questions; deserving of an answer.

Before I knew where this was leading there were flip charts all over the kitchen table and a very deep and meaningful discussion going on about life after the Diploma.  It demanded the bouncing around of ideas such as what about other income streams for both me and my darling husband – or do we retire, nip down to St Mawes, destroy Tregony Bridge and never stir this side of the border again?  In fact it is so very tempting to do that!  And why not?  I can make away in a studio in Cornwall and we can travel all over the world and come back to sail, play and explore galleries.  Or is there more to life than this?  I really can’t decide. . . . . .

So what makes a vessel?  Presumably a vessel is something which carries things, into which you can put ‘stuff’.  So, is it a vessel if there is nothing in it or does the absence of ‘stuff’ make it a potential vessel instead?  And what shape should a vessel be?  presumably that should depend on the nature of the ‘stuff’ for which it is intended.

Our latest project at college is to create our signature vessel.  That got the old grey matter going I can assure you.  What on earth would my signature vessel look like?

I started by looking at the work of ceramicists whose work I like – Ken Eastman, Adam Buickand Lucy Rei to name but a few.  But it strikes me that a lot of emphasis is placed on the appearance of the vessel from the outside in ceramics rather than on the inside.  All these works are amazing but I want to think about the inside more than the outside – after all, if the purpose of a vessel is to contain ‘stuff’ then the interior is important.

With this in mind I have been considering the importance of the various parts of a vessel.  The walls need to be strong enough to hold anything that needs to be contained.  To be strong enough their construction needs careful consideration, I need to consider the layers that might be needed.  The interior – if the material to be contained is precious it needs to be held in a thing of beauty therefore the inside of the piece must be beautiful, glazed as a jewel might be.  The exterior – as long as it is strong, does it matter what it looks like? And so, you end up with something like this:  . . . . .

Right – to the clay . . . . .