Tag Archive for: projection

Haven by Sonya Wilkins Ceramics

Finding Haven

/in /by

An Immersive Offering

I always knew my ceramic activator vessels would become part of an immersive experience at some point during my masters course. It wasn’t until I reached trimester three, at the end of July, that I realised the time had arrived to create ‘Haven’.

Much like my whole making practise to date, creating ‘Haven’ was an organic process. So it felt apt that my starting point and foundation for the installation was earth – a living ecosystem.

Below are a list of components that constituted ‘Haven’. Each one a different exploration of energy as matter, yet manifest in different sensual frequencies for people to experience and immerse themselves in – touch, sight, sound, smell; I even offered forest aromas in contemplation bowls so people could benefit from the terpenes release by trees in the forest.

Earth Mound Creation

Seating Curation

Tree Projections

Light Language & Tree Sound

Forest Aromas

Greater Than The Sum Of It’s Parts

The curation of these 5 aspects was delivered in a dedicated, purpose driven and authentic manner; I was no longer driving the process, the process was driving me.

Nurturing ‘Haven’ had become a ritual.  Over a 5 week period I had become custodian and hence found it strange not to be alongside this transforming installation. What’s more, I realised the installation was transforming me in the process…in some ways we had become intertwined. Haven was greater than the sum of it’s parts and I was one of those parts – part of an assemblage of intention focused and resonate particles. This feeling reminded me of a couple of quotes from Bennett (2012 p. 237-238) “there is a metaphysical tradition in the west that engages stuff – animal, vegetable and mineral – as lively intensity, as vital force” and “that everything has an impetus to seek alliances that enhance it’s vitality”. My practise of pulling together these vegetal, mineral and technical objects had encouraged a vital growth to occur and one that emitted an energy far greater than the individual parts.

Haven: A Well-being Catalyst

I was so very pleased to see that all who visited Haven clearly found refuge in her well-being atmosphere. Many of my fellow students who invigilated on days when I wasn’t there, said that people came back to sit and dwell numerous times. One person entered the space and told me they sighed a great relief, sat allowing the trees to nourish them and felt so replenished as a result. My friend’s daughter was captivated by the forest aromas and intuitively knew exactly what to do – showing no restraint to clasp the bowls in her hands and absorb the terpenes.

This can only be testament to the energy I had helped to hone over the last 5 weeks. I don’t feel like I can take credit, perhaps only for holding the intention and determination. The minerals in the ceramic and clay vessels, made in earth spoke back to the earth mound; the vegetal beings nurtured by the earth emanated their own vital life force; the echoes from the trees resonated with the real live trees back on location and my voice acting as a vehicle for their messages was simply a translation of tree wisdom.

Every person who visited contributed to the resonance of the assemblage.  After all, we are all made of the same matter and have a direct influence on all that is visible and unseen. My hope is that I will be able to re-create ‘Haven’ again and even offer a smaller more portable version in people’s homes and dwelling spaces, so the journey continues…

>>Enter ‘Haven’

 

Goodbye ‘Haven’

A Personal Message From Sonya

Sonya Wilkins and Haven

 

Bennett, J. (2012) Powers of the Hoard: Further Notes on Material Agency. Brooklyn, NY: Punctum Books

Tree Projection Testing on Vessels by Sonya Wilkins Ceramics

Projections From Nature

/in /by

At the end of trimester 2 during my masters in fine art ceramics, I was required to present a body of work for assessment. This comprised of a visual evolution, showing how I made earth vessels in the ground, progressing to the interpretation of the healing power of nature through mark making (a visual language). I used video, photography and ceramic vessels together with props such as soil and plants to describe my research and making practise.

Trimester 2 Display

The display showed the evolution of three vessels from ground level (earth vessel) to a blending of commercial influence through the use of porcelain and earth (middle vessel) and finally a contemporary interpretation for interior spaces.

Vessel Evolution

Bringing Outside, Inside

My aim for this display was to bring the healing power of nature (outside), inside, so allowing my vessels to offer a moment of connection and mindful contemplation – even when we are in the midst of our busy lives.

Contemporary Activator Vessel by Sonya Wilkins Ceramics

This isn’t to replace the need for us to spend more time in nature, but instead I am offering my vessels as conduits; to allow us to reconnect with nature through their presence and touch – a reminder of nature’s significance in our well-being.

The curation of my display fortunately included a view of beautiful Willow trees through the windows as a backdrop, which helped to imbue this nature, well-being intention. I also projected a making video across the vessels onto the end wall to demonstrate how I had arrived at this authentic making practise and this resulted in an unexpected surprise…

Unexpected Results

The tall contemporary vessel happened to capture the moving visuals of my video onto it’s porcelain surface and this created a beautiful ‘visual dance’. What made this curious and enticing was the ethereal quality of the projection – it wasn’t a clear, sharp projection, so instead suggested the visuals,Light Projections acting like an echo from nature. I observed this drawing onlookers further into the display and encouraged them to look more consciously.

Not only did fellow students comment on it’s enchanting beauty, but also my tutors. This made me realise I had stumbled across another dialect in the visual language I was seeking to create. Not only did the textures and marks on the surface of my vessels imbue nature’s essence, but the projections enhanced them.

Lying Under Trees

Since then, I’ve recorded video footage of the moving canopies of trees and projected this onto the surface of the tall vessel. I’ve experimented with varying qualities of projector (givingvarying clarity of image) and I’ve also started to combine several projectors from various angles.

Floor Projections 2

I admit, I’m becoming rather obsessed with the process…lying under trees at any opportunity and noticing how projections even enhance paint markings on floors…

I’m now enthralled by the statuesque silhouettes my vessels throw against the projections on the wall. Whats more, the projections cast light through the porcelain in areas where it’s transparent enough…another beautiful consequence of this serendipitous finding. My excitement is growing and growing and so projection will certainly be part of my final show and future offerings.

Projection Silhouette

Projections Through Porcelain