Ceramics and the Haptic - A Case Study Sited in Worcester Cathedral

Abstract

This practice-based research investigates ceramics and the haptic in relation to place, through a case study of Worcester Cathedral.

A two-year residency provided an analytical frame within which the practice was developed, illuminating aspects of the Cathedral. Using clay as an interface to explore the space around me, clay became an arena in which an activity could take place, resulting in a range of ceramic works.

The thesis was built on contemporary contextual ceramic discourse pertaining to the haptic, and the idea that this could be expanded through an inquiry into a specific space. On a personal level a sacred space provided a catalyst for themes to do with connection, contact and communication.

The research led to the formulation of a method of interpreting the space through a haptic engagement with ceramics, underpinned in part by Paul Rodaway’s model of the scope of haptic systems and Bachelard’s phenomenological approach to the experience of space.

The subjective aspect of the practice became a component of the research, and an on-going review was carried out via a reflection on comparative practices and audience participation. Serendipitously, the residency found an unexpected parallel via a mutual interpretation with a musician.

The research discovered new ways for ceramists to explore and describe the experience of being in a sacred space by utilising what might be called a haptic language. An unexpected result for the project was the development of a studio residency as a form of research, and the collapsing of the separation between making-as-doing and doing-as-thinking.