The clay is placed onto a sheet of cloth, and then compressed with hands so as to be somewhat flatter than it would be when removed from a block (with a cheese wire). Another piece of cloth is placed over the clay, and then the rolling cloth is then laid out over the clay as well. The layers of cloth that are added ensure that the clay does not stick to the board surface or to the rolling cloth, or that it does not stain it. The device has a wheel to the side of it which is rotated and in doing so, moves the press roller across the length of the machine, flattening out the clay.The machine is easy to operate and is not dissimilar to the kind of presses used for print making, and is adjustable too like those machines are. Once the clay has been pressed, it can be flattened out furthermore by using a rolling pin, using pieces of wood (of equal height) to brace the sides of the clay, providing a minimum level that the rolling pin can move across. This results in a more even surface of clay.
This practise of rolling can be used to apply pressure to objects placed over the surface of the clay, also. I used a stencil made from a small card box the previous day, which had a series of angular, geometric shapes cut into it. Flattened out, the box covered the area of most of the clay, and when I rolled over the stencil, a gentle impression was made into the clay. I continued to create more and more lines and geometric shapes, both by reusing the stencil in different configurations but also by applying indentations with an assortment of tools, mostly plastic clay modelling tools.
I decided to divide the piece into sections, again using strong lines in geometric shapes, to then assemble into a 3D construction. Before the pieces could be applied however, they needed to be leather hard, which is a state of dryness where indentations can be made into the surface of the clay, and it can be cut through, but bending or twisting the clay would cause it to split and tear. To speed up the process, I used a hairdryer on the pieces of clay until I was satisfied they were solid enough, though with hindsight it may have been easier to apply some of the pieces had they been a little bit drier still.
I started to 'feel' my way through creating the 3D piece, seeing which pieces I felt complimented each other in specific formations, as well as being wary of the piece being able to support itself. Being slightly too soft still, the piece was delicate. To bind the pieces together, lines are made into the clay (surface indentations still being relatively easy to make at this level of dryness) and then a composite of clay and water made into a thick sludge, called slick, is used to to bind the clay pieces together. The slick fills in the gaps created by the indentations on the connecting faces, which will dry to combine the pieces together solidly. The effect is rapid but takes more time to be of a decent strength, so the pieces need to be treated delicately still.
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| The lines appear symbolic or indicative of greater meaning, perhaps in a similar manner as the geometric lines represent cosmic mathematical equations in the H.P Lovecraft story The Dreams in the Witch House, probably my favourite of his works. |
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| The inclusions of "1985" and "Fuck" into the piece are intended to reference my work in the Visual Communication and textiles units, as much as the geometric lines and shapes reference the summer project. |
