Earthworms

NATIONAL COLLEGE OF ARTS Ceramic Design

Thesis Topic

Ceramic Light Sculpture

2019-nca-cera-257

Presented By : Ijaz Ul Haq Afridi

Thesis Incharge SIR NAVEED NIAZI

Acknowledgement

In the name of Allah, the most gracious and the most merciful. First and foremost, I am thankful Almighty ALLAH for giving me the strength, knowledge, ability and opportunity to undertake this stale and complete it satisfactorily.

Secondly, I would like to thank my respected HOD Ma'am Shaiza Mirza. whose worthy guidance and professional attitude is appreciable in completing this assertion

"It is impossible to extend enough thanks to my family, especially my parents, who gave me the encouragement during this process.

"I would like to thank my advisor, Sir Naveed Niazi, for his guidance and prompt feedback throughout this process.

I thankfully acknowledged the support and inspiration that my teachers given to me . I need to express my deep gratitude for introducing me in the field of the

ceramics .

Statement

My work is based on the efforts my brother has put in art through years of struggle. I witnesses his work and work ethics since my childhood, and have been a part of his artistic journey myself since then. He is a sculptor and we have produced many works together, though, my personal work has mostly veered off to exterior environments. I wanted my designs to not only compliment the living room, bedroom, T.V room, and the surrounding space, but the clay also intermittently with and mimics interior forms. The body of work I have produced for this thesis takes the lamp as its starting point, and extends its usability beyond the night by allowing its rebirth into a clay form. My purpose here is to blur the line between utility and ornamentation, to question why can’t one object harbour both of these qualities.

Abstract Oil lamps

Ceramic light sculptures refers to the use of indoor and outdoor illumination of private space for the enhancement and purposes of night time aesthetics, accessibility, recreation and social event uses.

Ceramic lamps, as a kind of tradition and fashion of both practical and decorative supplies, use features and smart design ceramic itself makes a wonderful soft lighting. Ceramic lamps show the distinctive texture details and features by means of the light, creating a specific environment atmosphere and making the indoor environment more colorful.

Ceramics lamp with its irreplaceable charm and character in art has its place in the garden and communicate with the contact between life and art. Due to its own characteristics, ceramic lamp is not applicable as the lighting of the lamp shade, etc. But these avoid appearing the dazzling phenomenon and reduce light pollution from the use of lamps. The advances in science and technology make the products more diversified trends of modern life. Ceramic lamps are not exceptional, too. The combination of scientific and artistic on the ceramic lamps make the function of ceramic lamps and arts developed to get incisively and vividly .

Ceramics may have been discovered thousands of years ago when meat was cooked on an open wood fire and the fat caught alight as it melted into the flames causing the clay beneath the red-hot fire to become hardened by the heat. Certainly, the ingenuity imagination and crafts-manship of the potter played a huge part in the early development of light created for use during the hours of darkness.

Potters have embraced these elements for thousands of years, from the making of early fire and clay lamps to the advanced technology available today. We know the sense of calm and intimacy that candlelight or fire creates for a gathering of friends, how it draws people together, and this has not changed over time.

A glance at the history of clay lamps over the last 3000 years shows that forms developed very slowly, A simple open dish with a floating wick is the earliest recorded type of clay light, similar to the low-fired oil lamp ( see photo bellow) and soll to be faunal remote parts of the world where electricity is not available .This tried and tested solution was developed in the age of the Mycenaean civilization, around 1500 In Egypt. China and Japan, and more recently in Africa and India, a saucer was placed on a stand or joined to a stand to give a greater spread of light The Greeks and Romans from the 6th to the 4th centuries AC developed this idea, curving the rim to prevent oil spillage providing a support for the wick and adding a handle, making the lamp more easily transportable.

The type of fuel used for these early lamps depended on the location environment and natural resources available. In the Arctic, eskimos used whale blubber and fish oil to create light, as well as to cook with, in their igloos. Wicks were made from dried moss gathered in spring as the ice melted. Moving south to more temper- ate climates, animal fat, olive or seed oils were burnt. Cotton and other porous materials and plants such as reeds and papyrus were used for wicks.

Clay lights using wicks began to diminish from the mid-15th century onwards, and tallow (rendered and refined animal fat) and beeswax became the basis of candle- making This was followed centuries later by paraffin, and the paraffin or kerosene lamp radically changed the design and function of the flame for creating light . There was also a finer level of engineering and design of the wicks, which increased both the efficiency and the safety of the lamps. Kerosene is still used extensively for lighting around the world where gas and electricity are not available.

At the shell lamp used by the Ancient Egyptians Chinese and Japanese . TOP NIGHT Greek and Roman lamp 6th century .

On The spout lamp derived from the Roman lamp Drawings by Kaze Hida courtesy of the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford .

The court of a thousand clay lamps, Nagur Fort, Rajasthan. Photo: James Crabbe

DESIGN STATEMENT

I'm working on the term of design that is "APPLIED ART". The applied arts are the application of design and decoration to everyday objects to make them aesthetically pleasing. The term is applied in distinction to the fine arts which aims to produce objects which are beautiful and provide intellectual stimulation.

I found fragility, flexibility, lightness and natural movement in clay work . I got excited and fascinated with it. My thesis topic is based on aesthetics and on its material. I want to bring art into our everyday life. I'm working on ceramic lights sculptures . These lights sculptures will contain the organic feel and shape. Basically I would like to make an easy access of ceramics in our daily life and in

everybody's house. The lights sculpture are handcrafted and (LED and SMD) lights are fitted which also allows for an ambient glow. When the lights are turned ON the light leaks more intensely from the holes and carved areas creating an elegant illusion.

Ceramic Lamps is used for practical and Decoration

Ceramic lamps, as a kind of tradition and fashion of both practical and decorative supplies, use features and smart design ceramic itself makes a wonderful soft lighting .

Ceramic lamps show the distinctive texture details and features by means of the light, creating a specific environment atmosphere and making the outdoor environment more colorful.

Human beings not only satisfied with the practical value of the ceramic lamp, also use it as the aesthetic object, incisively and vividly in the ceramics art play an imaginative and in being more flexible and easy to decorate, including the ceramic production of low entry barriers. So people can according to their own ideas and creative working in small workshop or similar place, which not only close the distance between people and products, but also has laid a good foundation for personalized ceramic lamps and popularity.

Ceramic lamps, as a kind of both can be decorated in different space in the house and can caters to the whole decorative style of the house.

Ceramic lamps are both practical and decorative interior decoration items, especially flashing the light of its unique artistic beauty and wisdom, incomparable to other material to a variety of advantages.

Study of Light

Light in Design-Bringing the Vision to Life , This application guide shows how lighting makes a difference- a practical and creative the nature of Objects and surfaces being lighted play an important role.

Biologically, good lighting design can help stabilize your circadian rhythm, helping improve your overall mood and contributing to better night’s sleep. Psychologically, good light can help reduce depression and even increase cognitive performance such as reaction time.

Stage lighting provides four main functions at events: Visibility, Motivation, Composition, and Mood.

Analysis:

There are many type of lights which I have surveyed in market and from the questionnaire point of views. I proposed the Organic forms for lights which should be the part of residential lights so that it could match the surroundings.

INSPIRATION

I got my inspiration from Animals and Henry Moore sculpture forms. As my work was mostly related to exterior environment. I wanted my designs to compliment the living room, bedroom, T.V room, and the surrounding space.

The three types of clay bodies :

While there are thousands of clay bodies available for purchase, the 3 basic types are porcelain, stoneware and earthenware .

MATERILAS

For mold :

Plaster of Paris

For Clay body :

Earthenware Clay ( red body ) Stone Ware clay (white body)

FIRING TEMPERATURE

Earthenware body 1030 degree celsius . Stoneware clay 1180 degree celsius .

Working process

Slip in Clay

Liquefied clay, in which there is no fixed ratio of water and clay, is called slip in clay.

Slip Casting

Slip casting, or slip casting, is a ceramic forming technique for pottery and other ceramics, especially for shapes not easily made on a wheel. In this method, a liquid clay body slip is poured into plaster moulds and allowed to form a layer, the cast, on the inside walls of the mould.

Slip Filling

Casting

Glazing Process

A transparent or translucent color applied to modify the effect of a painted surface. A smooth glossy or lustrous surface or finish.

Firing in the kiln Process

The firing process turns raw clay into ceramic through high-temperature heating. This usually happens in a kiln. Clay often goes through two types of firing - bisque firing and glaze firing.

Kiln Temperature 1180c

Gold Leaf :

Gold leaf, extremely thin sheet of gold used for gilding. Medieval illuminated manuscripts gleam with gold leaf.

Gold leaf used for:

it is still widely used for gilding ornamental designs, lettering and edgings on paper, wood, ceramics, glass, textiles, and metal. Applied with Gum Arabic. And I'm inspired by my brother. My brother works in Gold Leaf.