STAMPS

PC: Endi Poskovic - endiposkovic.tumblr.com 

This is a late update because I forgot to post but the plates came out the kiln on Thursday! I was planning on doing all the under-glazing and dipping it in clear gloss glaze right after-finishing the whole process in one firing, but as I transferred my drawings onto the plates with the carbon transfer paper, the carbon spread pretty much everywhere and I couldn't wipe it off. I wanted the plate to look really clean and I didn't want any carbon(which looked like black powder) to get stuck in between the glazes so I fired it without clear gloss glaze to burn off all the carbon, waited for it to come out the kiln, and am firing it for the second time. I dipped the plates in clear glaze and put them on the shelf on Thursday. I told the ceramic instructor I needed them to be fired by Monday which he said was no problem, but I basically put all my trust in him because I don't have access to the studios over the weekend. I just have to show up on Monday afternoon hoping that they're finished which scares the shit out of me.The ceramic team had a lot of firing to do over the past couple days and I did place my plates on a fairly busy shelf so everything should work out accordingly. My biggest fear right now is that I'm gonna go to the ceramic studio Monday morning and my plates will be missing(even though that probably won't happen lmao).

I finally finished them and I love them but i’m sooo tired. If these look ugly after they get fired tomorrow I will be so upset😂

Update 7: Mapping Project I finished one and can’t feel my handdddd i’m gonna do the second one tommorow i cant

Mapping Project Update 6: I finished glazing the bottom of my plates and transferred my designs using carbon transfer paper. I’m going to take the plates home and finish all the under glazing this weekend. I hope everything works out lol

Completed my official designs! I will be transferring these sketches onto the plates on Wednesday with transfer carbon paper after they are out of the kiln. I hope I can finish on time.

Mapping Project Update 4 Finished rough sketches for my designs and trimmed both plates.

When we were discussing my project in class, Victoria told me that the last day to bisque fire ceramic works was this Friday so I thought I would start early and give myself time to trim or make any edits if necessary. I met with Ellie today to make the plates and we worked really well together. We sat side by side with our own chunks of clay and I tried following her methods and steps as she was making the plate and I failed three times. :/ I finally got it on the fourth try but still needed a lot of help keeping the piece center. While we were working we started talking about what size/ how many pieces I was going to make and I  was happy with them being 10 inches but I got kind of stuck on whether we should make two or three plates. She said that although three plates seem like a fair amount of pieces and feel like a set, having two plates feels more intimate and I agreed with her. Although these plates will be highly decorative I ultimately want them to be functional and be put to use. Having two plates reference intimacy, relationships, and function, whereas three can be perceived as somewhat decorative, impersonal and ornamental rather than useful/practical.  I'm hoping to hear other peoples opinions on class on Tuesday! I will be trimming both plates tomorrow and will be sketching out the designs for the rest of the week. 

Update 1: I think I want to create my  pieces in this shape and the  Dimensions will be 10x10x2in. Over the weekend I’m planning on drawing out my designs in relation to these dimensions and I may alter them digitally. If I were to make one plate that had a repetitive symmetrical pattern, I may upload one section of the tile on to my computer and repeat them and alter them accordingly. I provided an example image of this above.

For this final project, I wanted to create a work that referenced multiple elements of the past two projects we have worked on this semester. When  I first read the Mapping rubric I knew automatically that I wanted to create some type of ceramic piece as we have been discussing the dynamics of problems and opportunities the entire semester. I have struggled with clay work and pottery my entire life, to the point where my ceramics teacher would laugh at me whenever I would sit behind the wheel. For my project, I want to create two ceramic pieces(either bowls, plates or mugs I haven't decided) that have some form of traditional Iznik patterning.Iznik patterns are a central Asian/Middle Eastern ceramic patterning style that is heavily influenced by Chinese Blue and white porcelain. This patterning is incredibly popular throughout North African, Middle Eastern and some Eastern European architecture( a field I’m currently interested in pursuing) and these cultural interconnections reference my first Sequence project in my research about cultural identity. I will be creating my pieces in collaboration with a fellow STAMPS student Ellie Levey and this references the group collaboration process during the Body extension project.The actual process/mechanics of creating the designs and the ceramic pieces are incredibly extensive and are incredibly detail oriented. You first pre glaze the ceramic piece, create the intricate designs and draw them on translucent paper, poke holes throughout all your line work, transfer the designs onto your ceramic piece by rubbing charcoal on the translucent paper and hand paint all the designs with glaze.  After the piece is fired, you fire it for the third time with clear glossy glaze and the piece is finally completed. The extensivity and overwhelming process of creating these pieces reference my experiences both in methods and at Stamps so far. Each class has set expectations, guidelines, and timelines that are both exhaustive and rewarding and I wanted that to be reflected in my final work and process.  

Photo 6 and Editing By: Dua Duran

We have moved on from sketching and prototypes and have begun creating our final extensions. Everything has been working well so far, we are communicating as a team very well, and things are heading in the right direction. I'm really excited to see the entire collection when all of our pieces are completed.

We have finalized each of our body extensions and planned out our performance piece. Each individual will have a body extension connected to different sections of the body- head, elbows, hips and knees. Each extension will structurally have a different design but unified in its function to unwind different types of string and rope. We will have the class create a circle  in the center of the room, and disrupt the circle by going in and out with out body extension which will create an entangled web that connects everyone together together. 

stringsssssssssssss

I think Claire’s project was really interesting, complex, and impactful. As someone who lives downtown, I consistently see the disrespect and disregard towards underprivileged and homeless individuals on the street and the fact that you wanted to start a conversation about that subject is really interesting and important. But I do think that someone photographing a University of Michigan student who is dressed in expensive clothing, giving money to a homeless man can be somewhat belittling which I know was not your intention. I think we need to be mindful that in some ways the photos series unintentionally highlights her elevated class status in contrast to his.  I think you should have also gotten permission from the subjects before you photographed them because they may not have been comfortable with the situation; it’s a slight violation of privacy and is a little dehumanizing which wasn't your intention for the project.  I think this project would have been more effective if you had maybe gone around Ann Arbor asking underprivileged people if they wanted to take part in your series, and solely take photographs of them. You can then have a conversation about their life and experiences, experiences with UofM students and include their stories in the composition.

I really appreciated all the comments during critique and it really allowed me to reflect on my work through a different perspective. I appreciate the comments on the MADE IN USA banner and I could see how the composition of the individual photos can improve if I removed them. Im also really interested in seeing how the composition and impact of the photos would change if I printed them on a much larger scale. Initially, I wanted to print them really small so they felt more personal and familial, but I can see the appeal of having them as huge prints and how it would emphasize my purpose even more. Im also going to be focusing more on my presentation, and making sure my setup and placement of my work is purposeful and  professional. Overall, Im really happy about the outcome of this project. One of my main concerns was the audiences ability to relate or have a form of connection for the work even though they may not completely understand it, and I think I was able to overcome that and I had enough clarity and focus throughout. 

I have finally completed my photo set-I color corrected, re-printed, and trimmed all the photos for the final presentation. I think overall my photoset displays first generation identity and intersections between cultures, but most importantly it displays interconnections between people. As the project was progressing, the focus of my photos were gradually becoming less concerned with societal standards, and other peoples perception of American/first generation identity, but more about the relationship me and my friend have. We embrace ourselves, our intersectional identities, our cultural heritage, and our Americaness and we relate to one another in that way and I’m glad my project has evolved to this level. When we were discussing what Methods of Inquiry was about on the first day, I didn't really understand this idea of problem solving or learning to find different meaning or answers, and I think I finally understand this concept with this first project. The significance of our work is not  “achieved” by the final product, but is achieved through our individual processes and evolvement within our work as our thinking and analyzing progresses.