projects | a shadow of craft
2020-2022
A Shadow of Craft - Auxiliary Projects (Relations to Making)
2020-2022
The work in this section is a series of contemporaneous works created in conjunction with A Shadow of Craft. These works, including those in the STL Collection and Ceramics, both in concept and practice, are tangential to A Shadow of Craft and significantly influenced the development of my thinking. The projects all function as inquiries into the implications of craft in design as influenced by modern technologies and the dematerialization of objects in modern society.
Potter’s Stool
2021
birch, painted steel, brass, 3D printed hardware
The Potter’s stool was designed to consider the studio and furniture as a tool for makers. The potter’s stool serves a specific function for the potter working at the wheel, and is adjustable in height to accommodate the potter’s desired ergonomics. The adjustable leg design was inspired by traditional wooden tripods. This stool was designed with small scale production in mind, where every aspect of production could be machined or cut by hand in small batches using only the resources available to me in the workshops.
The underside of the stool seat features a CNC carved spiral pattern, reminiscent of throwing rings left in the clay while throwing at the pottery wheel. The pattern that creates this surprising tactile experience is cut using a single pass of a 12mm router bit. As this texture meets the fingertips, it creates a connection between the user and the process through which it was made.
Designers Saturday Oslo
2021
This co-curatorial exhibition project was in collaboration with Taran Neckelmann, Tooti Blom, Kristine Hagen, Heidi Bekkevold, and the University of Bergen’s Institute for Design. The concept–new perspectives on craft–evolved into a presentation of a workshop environment in the newly opened National Museum of Oslo. Our goal was to represent a workshop in motion, highlighting a number of works that utilized the exceptional workshops at UiB KMD. Each of the selected pieces demonstrated a unique and modern way of working with traditional techniques.
Potter’s Ribs
2021
hand-cut white oak
Tools can be an extension of our hands. The potter’s rib is an essential tool for ceramic artists of all kinds, but especially those who work on the wheel. It is with this tool at ceramicists articulate the final form. Making my own tools in custom shapes and sizes further connects me to the process and to the final object.
Chasing A Feeling (Spoons)
2020
hand carved spoons in birch and walnut
CNC carved spoons in plywood and birch
3D printed spoon in PLA plastic
This study was designed to explore how the differences in production methods affect our experience of making the object, as well as directly oppose them and challenge viewers to identify the difference. This also culminated in an essay called “Tools and Machines: Chasing a Feeling and Carving Wooden Spoons,” which is a reference to a well-known carver named Barn the Spoon, who says that he carves as a way to “chase a feeling” or be able to communicate or generate emotions for the person who picks up his work.
The Decade Experiment
2021
AI generated digital images based on work from 2010-2020
As an experiment with AI and machine learning, and in an effort to look at my practice in new ways, I trained a machine learning model using photos of my work from 2010-2020. I provided the model with hundreds of images of sculptural objects and furniture from that ten year period. It’s as though the machine probed my brain–my memories of my work–and generated an alien interpretation.
