Digital age optimism

very craft process has an intrinsic aesthetic; trompe l’oeil aside it spans from those that use the least amount of manipulation, to the highly finessed. In any medium the parameters of refining material influences the visual outcome of an object. Clay, as an amorphous substance, has a wide range of aesthetics that is dictated by many factors that is distinct from other materials. Direct physical processing to manipulate clay’s shape has been compartmentalized into three general categories: handbuilding, throwing, and slip casting. Each of these areas has different processes in producing ceramic objects, however the aesthetics of each is discernible from one another. Recently, compared to the whole history of ceramics, a new category has emerged that is staking its place within the field -