Sylvain Thirouin
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ARTIST STATEMENT
I aim to capture the pleasure of making and working with an interactive material: clay. Traditionally, clay is taken through firing to an irreversible stage: ceramic, at which point it becomes inalterable.
The shards of this ceramic material provide archaeologists with information about the past. However, the malleability, plasticity and fluidity of the clay when it is actually thrown cannot be preserved in these shards.
What I am trying to achieve is a record of these very characteristics. My video recording works as an alternative to firing in that it captures the action of throwing clay. Digital technology is such an omnipresent tool of our era, and it constitutes a testimony of my time.
I play freely with clay, sound and movement so that the viewer can experience the pleasure of a skilled activity, even if they are not able to practice it themselves.
