Overcoming an obstacle -

Problem:
During the construction process for this piece, the there was an explosion during the greenware firing portion of the process. Multiple pieces in the affected kiln were completely destroyed, and mine was one of those which had been broken. I was left with a shoulder bust without a face, the general shape of a phone, and the nose/eye section of a human face.

I continued on with the construction of the piece and adapted the intent of the design to fit the visual message. I gathered each broken piece of ceramic that was big enough to represent something tangible, and I revisited the sculpture with the addition of new materials - superglue, chicken wire, and polymer modeling clay.

This new form allowed me to continue to build upon the depth of the first sculpture. Initially, I created the sculpure to resemble the partnership we see in the movie ‘Ratatouille’ - though rather than a cooking rat, it would be a controlling electronic device. The connotation being that our phones have far more control over us as people than we care to reveal. Building on this, my intent was to create something that appeared as if the iphone or electronic was taking over/expressing control over the bust. When the ceramic piece broke, it allowed me to make it seem as if the user/person is hollow or empty headed. I thought this addition served the concept well because the average persons phone usage is truly melting and distorting our minds. All of this social media and fake attention is truly rotting us in some ways.