New Directions in Ceramics: From Spectacle to Trace

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

New Directions in Ceramics explores and responds to contemporary ceramists use of innovative modes of practice, investigating how change is happening and interpreting key works. Jo Dahn provides an overview of the current ceramics landscape, identifying influential exhibitions, events and publications, to convey a flavour of debates at a time when much about the character of ceramics is in a state of flux. What non-traditional activities does the term ceramics now encompass How have these practices developed and how have they been accommodated by institutions in Britain and internationally Work by a wide range of ceramists, including Edmund de Waal, Nina Hole, Clare Twomey, Keith Harrison, Alexandra Engelfriet, Linda Sormin, Walter McConnell and Phoebe Cummings is considered. Following an extended introduction on ceramics in critical discourse, chapters on performance, installation, raw clay and figuration each provide an introductory overview to the area under discussion, with a closer examination of work by key ceramists, and illustrations of relevant examples. The interplay of actions and ideas is a central concern: critical and cultural contexts are woven into the account throughout, and dialogues with practitioners provide a privileged insight into thought processes as well as studio activities.

Reviews

Not for the fainthearted, this book takes on the cutting edge of ceramics ... It is a landscape of influential exhibitions, events and publications ... No doubt it will be a favourite with students ... Well worth a read. * Aylesford Pottery newsletter *
New Directions in Ceramics makes a valuable contribution to the body of writing surrounding contemporary ceramic making. It presents a fascinating insight into current practices that press against those flexible disciplinary boundaries. Dahn navigates from a personal perspective, positioning the artwork within a much-needed critical frame whilst maintaining the individual voices of author and artists. -- Catherine Roche, Carmarthen School of Art, UK
Dahns book is a provocative and timely addition to current critical debate around the positioning of ceramics as a post-studio and post-industrial practice, focusing on major practitioners in the field. New Directions in Ceramics will become a key reference for all those interested in contemporary ceramics at the cutting edge. -- Stephen Dixon, Manchester School of Art, UK
Jo Dahn has written a useful book that documents new practices in ceramics, most in the new millennium and surveys the key artists who took ceramics beyond the object into experimental, enacted, and sometimes ephemeral, territory. This is intriguing ground for a material that, as shards, outlasts almost everything. -- Alison Britton, Royal College of Art, UK
Dahns interdisciplinary engagement with cutting-edge contemporary ceramics is a significant contribution to current ceramic discourse. Informative, stimulating, insightful, and intriguing, this well-illustrated book explores the innovative works of over two dozen significant ceramicists through four pivotal and theoretically well-framed themes. Thoughtfully crafted theoretical discussions ensure the accessibility of these ground-breaking works. -- Susan Surette, NSCAD University, Canada

Author Bio

Dr Jo Dahn is an independent writer, researcher and curator based in the UK.