Paperclay in Recent South African Ceramics: Continuity and Change in Studio Works Leanne April ...

118 Pages·2012·2.99 MB·English

Paperclay in Recent South African Ceramics:
Continuity and Change in Studio Works

Leanne April Frisinger
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Supervisor: Prof Ian Calder
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Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts
in Fine Art in the Faculty of Humanities, Development and Social Sciences
University of KwaZulu-Natal: Pietermaritzburg, January 2012.
Paperclay in Recent South African Ceramics:
Continuity and Change in Studio Works
i

Declaration

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Fine
Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.

I declare that this dissertation is my own unaided work. All citations, references and borrowed
ideas have been duly acknowledged. It is being submitted for the degree of Master of Arts in
Fine Arts in the School of Literary Studies, Media and Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-
Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. None of the present work has been submitted
previously for any degree or examination in any other University.

_____________________________
Leanne April Frisinger
_____________________________
January 2012
ii

Abstract
This dissertation comprises the documentation and theoretical component of a practice-led
Master of Arts in Fine Art. The illustrated text focuses in four chapters on a critical
explication of contemporary South African ceramists namely, Juliet Armstrong, Betsy Nield,
Liza Firer and Leanne Frisinger. The dissertation includes significant discoveries about the
creative use of paperclay in contemporary South African ceramics and provides documentary
record of the candidate’s materials and processes. A conclusion briefly compares productions
referred to in the text.
Keywords
Porcelain, paper, clay, paperclay, ceramics, cellulose fibre, Betsy Nield, Juliet Armstrong,
Lisa Firer, Leanne Frisinger, South African studio ceramics, postmodernism, printing, print-
making, paper-making, photo lithography, creative practice, practice-led research,
documentation.
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To Mom, Dad, and Travis
And to the memory of Tess and Jane
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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my supervisor, Professor Ian Calder, without whose enthusiasm this
dissertation might have remained unfinished.

Thank you to the CVA staff that have taught and supported me throughout my time as a
student.

Thank you to Professor Juliet Armstrong for introducing me to the material, paperclay.
Betsy Nield and Lisa firer, thank you for contributing your specialist knowledge to this
dissertation so that others may benefit from your expertise.

I would like to thank the following people and their respective institutions for providing
photographs and allowing me access to their ceramics collections: Monica Ross of the Rusten
Vrede Durbanville Clay Museum, Jenny Stretton of the Durban Art Gallery, Hannelie du
Plessie of the Pretoria Art Museum and Ceramics South Africa, for images from the Corobrik
Collection. Lastly, for their dedication to contemporary South African ceramics a special
thanks to Rika Stockenstrom and the staff at the William Humphreys Art Gallery, Kimberley.

To dearest Kim Bagley and Jessica Smith, thank you for the never ending encouragement and
friendship.

To Travis. Thank you for providing the financial and emotional support to complete my
studies.

Finally, I would like to thank my parents: Keith and Adele Spence, who encouraged me to
study Visual Arts, for their unflinching love and support.
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Preface

Such is the practice-based nature of this dissertation, the first person will be used, where
appropriate, by the candidate. Personal interviews with contributing artists are referenced as
follows: (Frisinger and name of artist, date). The paperclay and paper-making workshop I
attended in London, hosted by Carol Farrow, is referenced as (workshop with Farrow,
2010).

Depending on the author's preference, a clay body that is combined with cellulose fibre (paper
pulp) has been called ‘paper clay’ (Gault, 2005), (Hamer, 2005), (Lightwood, 2005), ‘paper-
composite clay’ (Kim, 2006) or ‘paperclay’ (Hay, 2007), (Holmes, 2000), (Marais, 2004),
(Nield, 2004). Throughout this dissertation I have elected to use the one word format:
paperclay, as I feel that it is a term which appropriately encompasses the material's nature- the
merging of paper and clay. ‘Paper clay’, as two separate words, and ‘paper-composite clay’
are used in my text only when directly referencing authors who have titled the material as
such.

Apart from the section titled ‘Process’ located in the third chapter of this dissertation, the
format of this text follows the Style Guide for postgraduate text (Calder, 2008). The ‘Process’
section comprises two subsections: A. Production of porcelain paperclay and, B. Photo
lithography printing onto paperclay surface. The photographic images and the accompany text
are listed numerically. All other listed illustrations follow the Style Guide for postgraduate
texts (Calder, 2008: 7).

Illustrations have been placed within the text as close as possible to where they bear particular
significance to the text. Extended captions accompany many of the illustrations to highlight
specific content where relevant.

A glossary of technical terms is included at following the comclusion.
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This dissertation has two appendices: Appendix 1 contains my own adaption of Hilda
Ditchburn’s porcelain recipe, Appendix 2 lists the questions asked of each contributing
ceramists regarding their use of paperclay.
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Table of Contents
Declaration i
Abstract ii
Keywords ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgements iv
Preface v
Introduction 1
Chapter One 3
Background 3
Practice-led research 7
Methodologies 8
Research questions 9
Aims and objectives 9
Naturalistic inquiry 9
Tacit knowledge: Ceramic knowledge and tradition 11
Interviews/Questionnaires 12
Literature Review 12
Truth to materials? 13
Postmodern and post-postmodern ceramics 14
Paperclay, the quiet revolution 15
Contemporary technical literature 17
Chapter Two 20
Paperclay History; Mud, Earth and Adobe 20
Paper-making 22
Definition of paper 23
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Cellulose fiber 23
Kaolin: paper filler 23
Paperclay 26
Porcelain paperclay 27
Contemporary Ceramics 27
Breaking the tradition of studio ceramics 28
Carol Farrow 29
Robert Rauschenberg and paperclay 31
‘New’ materials 32
The Contemporary Vessel 36
Chapter Three 41
Properties of Paperclay 41
Clay and cellulose 42
Cohesion 43
Dry crack resistance 43
Dry strength 43
Firing paperclay 44
Health and safety 44
Process 44
A. Production of porcelain paperclay 46
B. Photo lithography printing onto paperclay surface 50
Chapter Four 55
Translucency as an Aesthetic Expression 55
Four South African Ceramists 58
Juliet Armstrong 58
Early ceramic career 58
Paperclay 59