ARCHETYPIC A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI I AT MĀNOA IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF FINE ARTS IN ART MAY 2012 By Chad R. Steve Thesis Committee: Brad Taylor, Chairperson Fred Roster Suzanne Wolfe
TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Plates.ii Introduction...1 The Cup as an Archetype..3 Ceramic Objects 3 My Father s Workspace as an Archetype.6 Installation 6 Conclusion 8 Bibliography 29 ii
LIST OF PLATES Plate Page Plate 1.10 Plate 2.11 Plate 3.12 Plate 4.13 Plate 5.14 Plate 6.15 Plate 7.16 Plate 8.17 Plate 9...18 Plate 10...19 Plate 11...20 Plate 12...21 Plate 13..22 Plate 14..23 Plate 15..24 Plate 16..25 Plate 17..26 Plate 18..27 Plate 19..28 iii
INTRODUCTION When you first encounter an object that you are not completely familiar with, it generates many questions. First, what is it? If that question is not immediately answered, we begin searching our archived experience for things that may relate. What does it remind us of? How is it used? What does it do? How does it do it? Where was it used? What is it made of? What does it have to do with me? I ve always had a close connection with objects, particularly hand-held tools. I relate to them both physically and psychologically. A well-made tool feels good in the user s hand the weight, balance, surface, and texture all combine to create a synergy of aesthetics and function. When I am confronted with a tool that I am not familiar with, memories of similar tools emerge from past experience, and inform my ideas regarding the function of the new tool.. My own experience with objects made me question how others would perceive them as well. My MFA thesis exhibition, entitled Archetypic, explored connections we have with functional objects. Archetypic is a powerful term. It is derived from the word archetype, which originates from the Greek term archetypos, meaning the original pattern, a primordial image, character, or model. 1 Therefore, archetypic is defined as having the nature of an archetype or original model. Another interpretation of archetype was adopted and popularized by the writings of the psychologist Carl Jung, who formulated a theory of a collective unconscious. For Jung, the varieties of human experience have somehow been genetically coded and transferred to successive generations. These primordial image patterns and situations evoke startlingly similar 1 Oxford Dictionary of English, Edited by Angus Stevenson, Oxford University Press. 2010. Oxford reference Online. April 27, 2012. 1
feelings in both reader and author. 2 These two definitions of archetype original pattern, and collective unconscious were both reflected in my thesis exhibition. Archetypic was an exhibition of ceramic objects displayed on shelves and tables which referenced a personal shop or workspace. The 180 hand-sized works resembled tools, and were grouped in relation to one another with thought to potential use and aesthetic considerations. (Plates 6, 7, &14) These objects were not intended to re-create already existent tools, but to represent hybrids of past and present forms. The freshly constructed bare pinewood shelving units and similarly-constructed work benches contained and showcased these small elements. A singular large tool in a state of deconstruction, or possibly re-construction, was centrally placed on a low pedestal in the Gallery. This larger tool, was intended to inform the smaller tools which surrounded it. In addition, there were two smaller work benches, directly across from each other, confronting each other, that also displayed mid-sized tools. One of them was complete and the other in pieces. Through their exposed and unaltered interiors, these three tools directly referenced the process of making (Plates 2, 3, &4). My ceramics training and affinity towards useful objects that operate on a personal scale directly influenced the construction and design of each tool-like object. The majority of the tools were made using the potter s wheel. The components resembled small vessels--cylindrical and hollow. Additional parts were created through pinching and slab techniques. Each process left unique marks which revealed the ceramic process. The time spent in my father s workshop inspired the essential elements that enabled me to create a specific atmosphere for the installation. Familiar shelves and worktables were 2 Jung, C. G. Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious. Vol. 9, Part 1, 2 nd ed. Princeton University Press. 1968. Pg. 42-53. 2
arranged into distinct spaces for each category of potential function and usefulness. The relationships of implied use between seemingly related objects also influenced the groupings. This separation of objects into visual categories enhanced the importance of utility. THE CUP AS AN ARCHETYPE I first discovered how important a ceramic cup can be while taking an introductory ceramics course. It was a wheel thrown cup and it changed my view of art and my attitude toward objects. The act of making was the only aspect that had interested me until that cup. That specific cup made me appreciate the finished object in addition to the process. When I think back, it wasn t even a particularly well-made cup. It had a clumsy handle attached to a short, thick body finished in an off-white matte glaze. However, that physically awkward cup inspired a deep psychological connection in me. I enjoyed the process and challenge of constructing it and developing a relationship through touch. The daily practice of making functional pots, specifically cups, had become part of my subconscious. Appreciation for the cup s form, function, surface, history, and interaction through use, reinforced my desire to investigate the relationship between hand tools and their users. The connection between body, objects, and memory was consciously investigated in creating these ceramic tools. THE TOOLS Form was a critical aspect of the objects referred to as hand tools. Rather than adhering to the phrase coined by Louis Sullivan that form follows function, 3 Instead, I pursued function 3 Sullivan, Louis. The tall office building artistically constructed. Lippincott s Magazine. March 1986. 3
follows form. This new mantra approached the concept of function from the opposite perspective. The tool forms allowed viewers to assign associations to the objects based on their individual backgrounds. Handles were the primary elements for inviting and permitting physical interactions with a potential user (Plates 9 &15). By implying a physical connection with the viewer, the forms generated a speculative response. For example, people do not usually grab a well-designed cup by the lip; they grab it by the handle because the form of the cup indicates that this is the correct way to grasp that object. Cups and other objects with handles, such as my ceramic tools, invite a specific interaction with the hand. In addition to the handle, the lip, volume, and body are essential elements when considering the form of a cup. In a similar way, all the component parts of my ceramic tools were important. Each object referenced a common hand-held tool found around a workshop. The forms were familiar enough to be inviting, but altered enough to provoke speculation about function and draw a creative response. For example, toolboxes without bottoms and rolling pins with perforations, posed questions such as, how do they hold and what do they roll? (Plates 6 & 12).These questions help the viewer locate the objects within the context of everyday experience. 4 Function is the implied role through which the tools operate with the viewer. They were designed to imply functions which justified the forms. When looking at a cup, it is easy to intuit its purpose. It is a vessel with a reservoir that may contain a substance, in this case for drinking. I know this because it has a handle to hold, an apparent volume to be filled, and a smooth and curving lip to drink from. I have also observed others in the past using the form in a similar 4 Rawson, Philip. Ceramics. The University of Pennsylvania Press. 1984. Pg. 15-19. 4
fashion, so I am able to assume that function. This identification of specific function was not so apparent while examining my ceramic tools. This uncertainty allowed for individual experiences to determine the object s use (Plate 16-19). Philip Rawson stated, As we live our lives we accumulate a fund of memory-traces based on our sensory experience, 5 This also supports Jung s ideas regarding a collective unconscious.' The functions of my tools were suggested through visual and tactile investigation in conjunction with past experiences of each individual. In addition to the completed tools, two deconstructed works were displayed as if inprogress (Plates 4&5). These works appeared to be in the process of either being assembled or disassembled. They challenged the viewer to search out form and function in order to reveal relationships and interdependence of the component forms. The act of mentally reconstructing the form allowed the viewer to play a role in the ideation and construction of the work. The inprogress works also revealed interiors full of clues about how the forms were created. A variety of textures and marks were the result of the building process, providing evidence of the hand as well as the tools used in their making. Surface tells a lot about an object--what finish is on it, how it was made, where it has been, how old it is, and how it was cared for. The ceramic surfaces in Archetypic were intended to look as though they had been well used and then abandoned (Plates 10,11&12).The cup that originally triggered this investigation is now worn, chipped, and saturated with coffee stains. Like that cup, the visual aesthetic of my tools was a patina of apparent use that served to unify the overall aesthetic of the exhibition as a captured moment in time. The scraped and worn surfaces operated as a vehicle that encouraged the viewer to disconnect from the present and reach for something intuitively understood through their memory-traces. 5 Rawson, Philip. Ceramics. The University of Pennsylvania Press. 1984. Pg. 16. 5
FATHER S WORKSHOP AS AN ARCHETYPE From as far back as I can remember my father always had a workshop, several in fact. There was one in the back of the garage that stored all the necessities for yard work. There were two workspaces in the basement; one supplied all the hardware and gadgets for recreational sports like fishing and hunting, and the other workbench contained all the tools necessary for carpentry, plumbing, and electrical. Each workspace contained an array of tools that were specific to its purpose. Each was a designated space with particular intent and function, outfitted with all necessary accessories including shelves and sturdily built workbenches. Organization and staging were critical elements which allowed the exhibition to function as a sensory and memory workspace. The atmosphere of this constructed workspace involved elements selected for their specific properties intended to trigger associations similar to those that I have in regards to my father s workspaces. Wooden shelves for display and storage, sturdily-constructed worktables of sizes specific to a particular activity, the aroma of freshly-cut pinewood, and a configuration that allowed room for interaction with the tools, contributed to that effect. INSTALLATION COMPONENTS The shelves in the exhibition were constructed from unfinished pinewood to convey a sense of simple, straightforward, and direct construction (Plates 7, 8, & 14).This type of shelving is common in a workshop because it is affordable and easy to install. This casual style references an actual place where work and functionality are important elements. A craftsman does not need 6
an expensive, elaborate shelving unit. He or she needs only the essentials, but they need to be arranged for efficiency and for the intended purpose. Instead of recreating an actual workshop the arrangement of utilitarian shelving alluded to the idea of a readily-recognized workspace. Workbenches were constructed in a similar fashion--affordable and easy. My father s workbenches were substantially over-built to provide durability and stability. They had to support heavy weights and endure a wide variety of stressful functions. To simulate this bulk, the tables in the exhibition were constructed with a much thicker wood than necessary (Plates 2, 3 & 4). Using bare wood components as a display created a practical platform for my work, and a cohesive visual effect which contrasted with, and enhanced the weathered ceramic objects throughout the show. A pleasant result of the freshly cut pinewood was the aroma, which was evident immediately upon entering the exhibition space. The pungent scent provided another level of sensory perception that enhanced the installation s reference to actual workshops. Pinewood releases a smell that is familiar to many and can evoke recollections of past experiences, thus potentially transporting the viewer to another time and place beyond the gallery. The exhibition environment referenced a small but efficient workspace. The installation design was based on the aesthetic relationship between the visual components and how the viewer would move through the gallery space. The intention was not to simply recreate a workspace but rather to reference memories of my father s workshop, with the hope of eliciting similar associations in others. The space between each grouping gave viewers a visual break--an opportunity to stage their own impressions and contextualize the work before moving to the next collection of objects (Plates 1, 2, &3). The space between units contributed to the overall flow of the installation and invited a rhythmic wave of investigation throughout the exhibition. 7
CONCLUSION Archetypic was held in the Commons Gallery at the University of Hawai i at Manoa on March 18 th to 23 rd, 2012. The archetypes of the cup and the intimate workshop, combined with my training and personal memory, served as the physical and psychological models for the exhibition. The ceramic objects in the exhibition encouraged viewers to decode the history of a tool, and their relationship to it. Each individual was free to investigate the tools and assign a function based on his or her own experiences. Henry Ford once stated that, Every object tells a story, if you know how to read it. 6 Although seemingly straightforward and minimal, these tools held embedded stories. While the forms themselves implied a function, their weathered and faded exteriors referenced a previous history. Each tool from Archetypic functioned both personally and metaphorically. They reminded me of past experiences in my father s workshop and potentially struck viewers in a similar manner. The tools operated as a metaphor for lessons that have been given to us in life guidance from a loved one, skills learned from family members, wise advice from a good friend or even something essential learned from an enemy. These life lessons are some of the tools that help mold us into the individuals we become. 6 Ford, Henry. Objectified. Documentary Film by Gary Hustwit. Produced by Swiss Dots Veer. March 2009. 8
My most memorable observation from the show involved witnessing people pick up the ceramic hand-tools from the shelves. They gripped the handle, and with their whole body they gestured with a motion that simulated the action of use. Sometimes they would simply vocalize what they assumed the tool would do. I had the pleasure of witnessing a woman do both on one occasion. She grabbed the tool that was hanging from a shelf and with a horizontal motion she pulled the tool towards herself. She then said, Some of these tool s functions are mysterious, but I know exactly what this one does. She continued with a story of how she saw this tool being used. You would find this tool in a butcher shop, hooking meat and sliding it across the table to be cut. That moment fulfilled all my intentions for the exhibition. 9
Plate 1: Entrance to Archetypic, Commons Gallery, 2012. 10
Plate 2: Installation View from Entrance, Archetypic, Commons Gallery, 2012. 11
Plate 3: Installation View from Rear, Archetypic, Commons Gallery, 2012. 12
Plate 4: Installation View, Tumbler and Back Workbench, Highlighting works inprogress, Ceramic and Pinewood, 2012. 13
Plate 5: Roller Deconstructed, Highlighting In-progress Objects, Ceramic and Pinewood, 2012. 14
Plate 6: Detail, Toolboxes without Bottoms on Shelving, Ceramic and Pinewood, 2012. 15
Plate 7: Shelving Unit #1, Ceramic Tools and Pinewood, 2012. 16
Plate 8: Detail of plate 6, Highlighting Contrast between Ceramic and Pinewood, 2012. 17
Plate 9: Selected Hand tools, Highlighting Handles, Ceramic, 2012. 18
Plate 10: Depositor #4, Surface Detail, Ceramic, 2012. 19
Plate 11: Gauge #2, Surface Detail, Ceramic, 2012. 20
Plate 12: Perforated Pins #2 & 3, Surface Detail, Ceramic, 2012. 21
Plate 13: Extruder #5, Surface Detail, Ceramic, 2012. 22
Plate 14: Shelving Unit #2, Ceramic Objects Displayed on Pinewood, 2012. 23
Plate 15: Selected Hand Tools, Highlighting Handles, Ceramic, 2012. 24
Plate 16: Scraper #3, Hand Tool, Ceramic, 2012. 25
Plate 17: Optimizer #1, Hand Tool Highlighting Uncertain Function, Ceramic, 2012. 26
Plate 18: Candle #2, Hand Tool Highlighting Uncertain Function, Ceramic, 2012. 27
Plate 19: Grazer #1, Hand Tool Highlighting Uncertain Function, Ceramic, 2012. 28
BIBLIOGRAPHY Ford, Henry. Objectified. Documentary Film by Gary Hustwit. Produced by Swiss Dots Veer. March 2009. Jung, C. G. Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious. Vol. 9, Part 1, 2 nd ed. Princeton University Press. 1968. Pg. 42-53. Oxford Dictionary of English, Edited by Angus Stevenson, Oxford University Press. 2010. Oxford reference Online. April 27, 2012. <http://oxfordrefernce.com.eres.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/views/entry.html Rawson, Philip. Ceramics. The University of Pennsylvania Press. 1984. Pg. 15-19. Sullivan, Louis. The tall office building artistically constructed. Lippincott s Magazine. March 1986. 29