(Off)Centered

The project examines the relationship between stability, center, and movement in the context of ceramic shapes and vessels. Centering is a central theme when working with clay: centering clay on the wheel, the work itself, the artist during the process. Owing to the traditional heritage of ceramics as a craft, symmetric and functional shapes are among the most commonly created on the wheel or through hand-building techniques. The project aims to challenge the meaning of symmetry and centering, open up the impermeable facade of ceramic vessels, and introduce movement and slant while preserving balance and preventing collapse.

The works were formed with coils, attached to each other during slow rotations on the hand wheel. Each row is connected to the previous one and to the one that follows. The spaces in between grow larger and smaller in synchronization with the movement of the piece, halted and frozen just moments before the irreversible loss of balance and collapse.

The gradual abstraction and inclination of the works during the building process have created two centers: one symmetric and stable in the lower part of the piece, the other abstract and flexible in the upper. An equilibrium has formed between the two, a balance of opposing powers, expansion and contraction, focus and distraction. A red thread tightly wrapped around the top coil symbolizes the point of no return, a “red line” to being off-center and losing balance.