A Walk and Glaze Tests

First Week 19th- 25th

This week the first years were starting a project run by Khell a Masters student that is researching at the University. Richard had told me to follow this project as he would be away as would the other tutors and second year. The project is to break away from what you normally turn to and challenge yourself and the material, to ask questions. 

 It is strange with no tuors around and what seems like only one technition and six other students. I´m finding it hard to know where everything is who to talk to for what and how to access things. There are two girls in first year that have a great knowledge of the technical side of ceramics. One of these girls is looking at glazes this week. On Wednesday she taught me how to mix glazes and we did some test pieces that were fired on Thursday. It reminded me of being back at school and doing chemistry, with scales and exact measurements. The book we were working from was in English so it was hard to know the Norwegian names for some things. We were testing reds and purples for an oxidization firing, however two came out distinctly blue and We think that was because of a miss translation. On friday We had a demonstration on how to use a diamond saw to cut ready made ceramics  and how diamond attachments to a dremmil could remove pattern. Then I had a go on both ceramics and Glaze, the cutting was easy however it only produced straight lines.

Next week the other girl has said that she will tech me to throw which is exciting yet a little scary. I feel that Im still acting like a rabbit caught in head lights and need to move on form the bewildered feeling of being here and start researching and begin on a project. It is hard when I want to learn processes and there is no-one to really teach me, I need to build up confidence and ask more. 

Thursday Friday

I met with Richard, with a rough idea of what I wanted to achieve from being in Bergen and photos of my previous work to show him. My main objective for being here is to increase my ceramic knowledge and skill. In previous projects I have designed in ceramics but the final pieces are always amateur due to my lack of knowledge of the material and its application. wanting to learn more about process, types of clay, glazing and firing, Richard suggested that i take on ideas form previous projects by looking at process as a way of producing designs. Producing questions to answer through experimenting using Richard Serra's 'what if' list as an example. This ties in well with questions left from the Food for Thought project completed before I came to Bergen, which I will use as my starting point.

Other Ideas to look at while in Bergen where discussed. I'm interested in Japanese ceramics and they have drinking cups one for summer and one for winter, different types of ceramic to retain heat. This I thought could relate to a project based around touch. How people hold vessels depending upon its use as well as their mood. Etiquette around objects and how a design will make people use an object differently. Texture associated with certain objects and how it feels when texture is changed but form remains the same, and how glaze effects texture and finish. Using Bergen as inspiration for designs. As I see and encounter new things everyday incorporating them into my work. The irregular roof tops is an aspect of Bergen that interests me with quaint wooden houses creating patterns all over the city. As well as the possibilities of shape in the working harbour, which I have not explored yet. Light is also something that interests me and I wish to experiment using light, shadow and metallic glazes.

Kiln shed, Glaze room, Studio

First Week

This week I started UNI, Monday was a general welcome back day for all staff and students. Presentations of work were given some in Norwegian and some in English, it was interesting to see work both staff and students produced it gave me a good feel for the university, how it worked and what style it produced. The ceramics department always have lunch together sometimes with a presentation of work on Tuesday, which I have been asked to do one week. I went on Tuesday, where generally semester information was given out and i was introduced to technicians and tutors. I'm to enter 2nd year however they have all gone off to a porcelain factory for 3 weeks. After lunch Eric the technician gave me a studio space. and briefly gave me an outline of how things worked. He seems like the man to talk to, to get clay you see Eric, to use the kilns, glaze, plaster you see Eric. I then met with Richard briefly who is English and will be my main tutor. He is only part time and spends his time between Bergen, New York and London, next week he is off for 4 weeks so we arranged to meet on Thursday to talk about what i would do. Before them he asked me to write out my interests and begin to think about a brief for my time in Bergen. The work here is all self directed with sign up projects, seminar and workshops across disciplines available on the internet. On Wednesday I went to a lecture from Barnaby Barford. His work was really interesting and he has recently done an animation called 'Damaged Goods' which was magical.

Floyen

Bergen is between 7 mountains, which Norwegians say are there to keep people in Bergen for that is where they are meant to be. One id called Floyen and I got the funicular up it to se Bergen for above. It was so windy and cold so I mainly say in the cafe and looked at pictures of people having picnics in the summer on Floyen. The cable car is mainly glass so it feels like a small roller coaster as it is quiet steep, mainly open aired the car does pass through a small tunnel that takes you straight into the centre of town. 

Bryggen

Bryggen is the old part on Bergen on the north-side of the old harbour. It is  mainly old wooden buildings, floors, with a museum and many shops. One jewellery shop was divided into two with the designers work bench elevated as if a stage for customers to observe. I really like the mayhem of roof tops in this area which can also be seen with old residential buildings in some areas of Bergen. I love the quaintness of it and also the patterns created.

Fish Market

Fish Market and Exchange Students

On Friday morning all of the 6 exchange students went into Bergen centre to meet with Kari at the university, to enrol. We met three others there and were given tea, coffee, cookies, grapes and Norwegian toffee. I got a codes and swipe cards for all the university buildings which are open to students from 7am to 12pm which I'm sure i will be making full use of. Kari then took us on a tour of all the uni buildings when i first saw where ceramics was it looked impressive with a shed outside for all the kilns. that afternoon we looked around the city centre and went to the fish market where Stacy tried all types of fish and Whale which is apparently like venison. There where dead fish alive fish and some in an in-between stage but it was all strangle beautiful, also tanks with live fish and lobster in them. The men there where really friendly and chatty as everyone here seams. All Norwegians its seems speak English as do all the other exchange students which make me feel lazy and guilty for only knowing one language! Although it does make it easy for me!

When I First arrived it was about midnight and there was a snow storm, we landed on snow and everything was white and crisp. I was excited but also thought that I was rather under prepared. With not only a little knowledge of ceramics, no knowledge of the language and defiantly the wrong shoes! However the next morning this feeling deepened as i woke up at 8 in the hotel to go move in to halls and it was still dark. But all the snow had melted and turned to ice! i got to Fantoft which are student halls for around 2000 international students and was a bit lost at first in a sea of concrete. After about 2 hours a German girl called Inga came and found me in reception and gave me my key. I moved in to my almost chalet like flat. I was to share with Stacy a girl doing textiles at Manchester, who i would have to pass keys on too at about 5. There is loads of storage space in the flat but no oven in the small kitchen!

In the bedroon there is a long wooden bench that folds out to become a spare bed!