Date of Award
12-2014
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Legacy Department
Ceramics
Committee Chair/Advisor
Valerie Zimany
Committee Member
Syd Cross
Committee Member
Andrea Feeser
Abstract
Utilizing the ceramic process I create objects that facilitate experiences in the domestic space. Developing sculptural elements that evoke memory traces, and in heightening the everyday to an aesthetic, I place value on the overlooked, under-thought items that sustain existence. 'It is the realm of these submerged memory-traces that creative art moves, bringing them into the orbit of everyday life and making them available to the experience of others by formalizing and projecting them onto elements of the familiar world which can receive and transmit them.' - Rawson The objects I created for this exhibition are rooted in memory traces, reminiscent of heirlooms that have been passed down to me, that I cherish and value. The work in Sustenance presents contemporary heirlooms. At the intersection between generations things are lost. Domestic items lose their potency in daily life, and rarely are objects created, manufactured, or bought with intentions to spend a quality amount of time with them, care for them, and pass them along to younger generations. The work I create is a reaction to this reality. Contemporary society is consumed with disposability, and people are no longer connected to the objects that aid in their sustenance. Making objects that are formed with touch, labor, and time counterpoints this disposability: the objects I create patiently wait to be discovered and enjoyed, retained and later passed on to others.
Recommended Citation
Pafford, Brenton, "Sustenance" (2014). All Theses. 2055.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/2055