Pearls of Wisdom from Rottnest.

Not surprising then, Craft is seen as one such medium, with Walker (1992) observing that the majority of craftspeople are women and therefore by implication males working in the crafts are also "culturally marginal". ¹

Yet the same author selected the W.A. ceramist artist Mike Calder, and other craftspeople for an exhibition, to represent the "development of the crafts in the eighties in its astonishing diversity, its depth and richness and its capacity to reach an audience spanning race, culture, age, as well as social and economic status.” ²

How can the craftwork be brilliant and popular to a society, yet the creator culturally marginal in the same society?

Definitions of three key words used in this paper are provided here; before I move on to address this issue, through an examination of the interrelationship between Calder and his socio-historical milieu.

The word culture contains aspects of a productive process and improvement (by literature and science), resulting in a group of work or achievements. An example of which is the "cultured pearl (formed by oyster after insertion of suitable foreign body)."³ I believe that this is a useful metaphor to use in examining Calder's work in relationship to his socio-historical milieu. Firstly because Calder is an immigrant (Canadian b.8/3/57 to Scottish/English parents) who was initially trained as a graphic designer (Perth Technical College 1973-75) and ceramist artist (Perth Technical College 1981-83, Royal College of Art, London 1985-86) who produces most if not all his work (pearls) inside Western Australia (an oyster). Secondly, if someone is defused as culturally marginal then their status has aspects of separateness from the society.

I will use Kress's (1988) structuralist definition of society as consisting of gender, race, the institutions of class, family and finally the organisations prevalent in an industrial capitalist economy. ⁴ While this is similar to that used by Walker above, it also recognises the role that institutions and organisations play in shaping how we view Art works and Artists are seen by society.

O'Sullivan's definition of style as a “means by which culture identity and social location are negotiated and expressed”⁵ is useful for the insights it provides into the cultural process operating in shaping Calder's work.

The proposition I wish to present is; that Calder's style of work reflects a desire by an outsider to make comments on the surrounding society, yet the work appeals to Australian society for different reasons: these being that institutions had given him the stamp of approval (as a student/teacher and acquiring his work) and that his work symbolized a utopian dream/self illusion of Western Australians.

My Response to the Work

I first noticed one of Calder's works ("Little Parakeet") in the Art Gallery of Western Australia and was motivated to study more closely him and his work because of the potential for insights into the currently acceptable norms and dynamics (cultural process) of the local Western Australian (W.A.) craft educational/industry institutions. Older, more established artists would have had more written about them and have polished messages for researching students but would lack such contemporary insights. Given that this is the first in depth examination of Calder's work that I am aware of, a curators request for a copy of it, Calder's recent employment by this institution, the small W.A. pool of critics, collectors, curators and craftspeople and the multiple roles some people play; it has is difficult to reconcile my motive with the objective of this assignment.

That aside, my initial response to Calder’s "Little Parakeet" (Rottnest series) work was not favourable. The pot was disconcerting in its simplicity. It consisted of a small porcelain high wall bowl on a stepped porcelain base, both brightly coloured in an apparently random manner. My honest response was almost a “so what?". It reminded me of much of the work I had seen in American and German galleries and books. ⁶

Yet Calder's work was presented in the same glass cabinet along with Eileen Keys ⁷ implying that Calder is or will be a major influence on ceramics in W.A.. In such simple ways institutions influence how we perceive Art. But what actually occurred was that I then compared the technical skill of the two artists: Calder's "Little Parakeet" simply seemed a more machined (wheel thrown rather than pinch pot) and brighter (commercially available rather than artist produced glazes) version of Key's work.

Following an interview with Calder in May 1992, the question I posed to myself was then how does the style of this work reflect the cultural processes that produced "Little Parakeet"? If we accept O'Sullivan's above-mentioned definition of style then it would seem that Calder's work should contain an internally negotiated blend of socio-historical aspects of both country of origin and country of occupation.

The Pearl's Comments on the Oyster

"Little Parakeet" is one work out of a whole series of pots based upon Rottnest Island, which Calder visited with WACAE ⁸ students as part of their course work. Calder was then the full time Co-ordinator of the Ceramics B.A. course at the Joondalup campus ⁹ (1988-90). Each work was named after a part of that island's coast. Little Parakeet is a tiny bay next to Parakeet Beach. Other works in the series included "Geordie Bay" ¹⁰ and "West Point" ¹¹.

As a viewer I was initially not aware that "Little Parakeet" was a little bay, therefore it was not until I spoke with Calder and attempted to draw the work (see attached drawing) did I realise what Calder was attempting to doing in this work. Calder was interested in creating an optical illusion. He maintains that from a specific angle (in fact you need to stick your head right up against the glass) the glaze colours cause the (clay) bowl to disappear into the (earth) base. This illusion was seen as a reflection of the designer’s private philosophical and theological beliefs rather than a restatement of evolution. ¹²

By making the base and bowl wear a picture of the little bay, Calder was seeking to incorporate not only the plastic realism of Bernard Palissy (c 1510-90) ¹³ in order to make his surface decoration “more expressive, fusing with, and defining, each shape to create a more dramatic whole”, ¹⁴ but also to make social statements in the tradition of the American Adrian Saxe. ¹⁵ Saxe was and still is a leader in the post-modernism cut and paste school ¹⁶ making "smart pots" which are designed to tantalise rather than please and make biting comments on the confusion between the values of Art (read prestige) and Craft (read use). ¹⁷ Saxe uses visual signs in his work in much the same way words in a sentence are signs for ideas, emotions, objects or relationships.

Calder's criticism of galleries showing his work, of sometimes not including his written explanations in the display, in order to make his work more accessible to the viewer, may be justified. Certainly to me they were not accessible. At least Saxes' work is physically complex and if one does not immediately "get the joke" one still feels that the work must have some meaning because there is so many visual words or signs. Calder's visual sentences in the "Rottnest Series" work is far too short in order to convey his intended message.

Oyster's Response to the Pearl

Yet despite this shortfall the public, the WACAE collection and the Art Gallery of Western Australia eagerly bought Calder’s 1989 work. I maintain that the reason for this popularity was not because his work were "smart pots" making biting social comments, but rather because it was a clever representation of favourite locations on a holiday island which have come to symbolise how Australians would prefer to see their society.

Simply by naming this subgroup of work in his exhibition "Rottnest Series" and basing each work on part of the Island, Calder's work triggered the viewer's personal and social memory. Consequently what the viewer sees is not necessary what Calder consciously intended. Rottnest Island has certain images associated with it, which reflect on current W.A. society structure and values. The ultimate holiday destination during long hot summers becomes for a weekend, the social ideal.

Firstly it is a holiday then the traditional gender/power/work structures are not operating as strongly, such as the stereotype male boss and female secretary.

Secondly, as there is a relaxed dress code then the traditional visual signs of the wealth based class structure in Australian society cannot operate. That is, possessions such as cars, houses, and flash clothes are left behind. Wealth cannot buy you more sun, surf and sand than others, which is what people come to consume.

Thirdly, "going to Rotto" is seen as a whole family, or peer group activity, whereby the emphasis is upon relaxed social interaction.

Fourthly, commercial activity is limited to specific areas, enabling an escape from consumerism and its relentless promoting of business products and services.

Lastly, Rottnest was for many years seen as a place where you could do what you want, away from institutional and organisational regulation and control.

While these are the dominate social narratives, there are other narratives which are less acceptable to the general public, but just as valid: To Aboriginals, Rottnest symbolises racial discrimination and persecution, visually, represented in Sally Morgan's "Greetings from Rottnest"(1988) painting which shows white Australians happily waving at the viewer while standing on ground which is full of unmarked aboriginal graves. ¹⁸

For me Calder's "The Rottnest Series", with their high walled bowls on a separate rock bases, carry more positive connotations of an empty beer glass on the stone wall outside the Quocker Arms Hotel or on one of the little beaches. ¹⁹ Aspects "drink your full of good times", “a hot thirst (for what?) satisfied on the rocky island " and “empty yourself of your worries at the beach on Rotto" all come to mind.

Where does the Artist Fit In?

Mention had been made earlier of the importance of social mobility and personal freedom for a career in Art and that creativity rests upon ideas of autonomy and rugged individualism. Apart from his time as a student and teaching at WACAE, Calder does not appear to have aligned himself closely with any one Art Institution. Social Psychology maintains that males with only same sex siblings (Calder was the second eldest of four boys) have strong masculine traits; these are defined as being ambitious, self-reliance, independent and assertive. ²⁰ This is supported by Calder’s comment that he and his brothers learnt that “you can do whatever you want to do" and that his parents were "so independent [that they] felt no restrictions moving home or country" between Scotland, England, Canada and then Australia. Calder himself travelled to Asia, Canada and Florida (1975), spent 8 months on a working holiday in the UK, Canada, France and Asia (1980) and furthered his training in London in 1985-86. That he was the only foreign student in his class at the Royal School of Art²¹ is testimony not only to his ability but also to his assertiveness. Calder was to receive all his three awards²² and three of his works were acquired by major collections while he was a Perth Technical College student. At least another two works were acquired while he was teaching at WACAE, suggesting that these institutions are critical in artists gaining initial formal recognition. Calder's track record of exhibitions is also indicative of his assertiveness and productivity, peaking, with seven exhibitions in 1988. Here is an artist who has constantly maintained his exposure to the public.

Year	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
No. of Exhibitions	3	6	4	5	1	4	7	3+

Source: Art Gallery of WA & Perth Galleries, various press clippings and old Resumes.

It would therefore seem that there is a two-way link between public exposure and institutions, in explaining Calder's success to date. I maintain that institutions are an important mechanism for artists to transcend their marginal position in society. For it is institutions such as Colleges, Universities, State owned and private Galleries as well Craft Councils, maintain collect and present Artwork, as well as maintain mail lists and regular contact with the purchasing public.

However the autonomy and rugged individualism traits of artists such as Calder does not sit well with organisations which depend upon unity and collective cooperation to survive and operate smoothly. Consequently artists often fell personally culturally marginalised, while their work is widely accepted by society.

Summary and Conclusion

I believe that Calder was attracted to ceramics because his work enabled him to physically negotiate his own position in WA society. He drew on American and French Artists as inspiration because Canada is very influenced by these two cultures.

One piece of work from his Rottnest series was studied and I uncovered a contrast between what he wanted (to made social comments and create illusions) and how it was seen by society (symbolic of good times and a utopian dream). Calder as a designer (his description), or a culturally marginal male craftsperson (critical commentators description), can only commercially succeed if institutions assist in presenting his work to the purchasing public in a favourable way.

Finally the creative process is based on personal traits which are not always acceptable within institutions which are trying to operate smoothly or survive economically. The pearl creating process enables the foreign material to remain within the oyster and the oyster to accept the foreign material. In this process there is currently no space for the foreign material (or artist) to co-exist separately from the pearl (or work) inside the oyster (or society). Questions raised by this examination of the work, regarding how individuals and institutions can coexist will be the subject of another paper.

Footnotes

1. Walker (l992) p2.

2. Walker (1988) p7.

3. Concise Oxford Dictionary.

4. Kress (1988).

5. O'Sullivan (1988).

6. See the work of Johannes Gebhardt in Donner (1991) and Adrian Saxe in Clark (1987).

7. A W.A. pioneer potter who was and still is credited as a major influence for many local potters see Bell (1986).

8. Western Australian College of Advanced Education, now the Edith Cowan University.

9. Keefer Bell. J, (1988) The City of Perth Craft Award (Exhibition Catalogue. Crafts Council of Western Australia: Perth).

10. Which appeared on the Mike Calder Exhibition opening invitation at the Perth Gallery (5th - 22nd November 1989).

11. That the WACAE collection purchased.

12. Calder interview (1992).

13. Palissy was an outstanding potter and one of the most colourful figures in the history of French ceramics. The "inventor of the Kings rustic pottery" cast from life snakes, lizards, frogs, fish and foliage, painted them in such realistic glazes; to make slithery forms and muddy coloured dishes and bowls. At one stage he burnt all his furniture and floorboards in order to keep the kilns burning. See Penkala (1980), Fleming & Honour (1977) and 0sborne (1975).

14. Walker (1988).

15. Calder (1992).

16. Clark (1987) p.207.

17. Schjeldahi in Clark (1987) p224.

18. Aboriginal Art Gallery, in the Art Gallery of Western Australia.

19. Look at the Perth Galleries invitation (attached) with the highlighted words Mike Calder, Drinks and a picture of Calder's bowl/glass on base.

20. Conger & Kagan (1979) pp. 372, 503.

21. Calder (1992).

22. 1983 York Fair, 1982 Chamber of Mines National Exhibition and 1983 Fremantle Markets National Ceramics Exhibition.

References

Bell, R. (1 986) Eileen Keys, Ceramics 1950-1986. Perth: The Art Gallery of Western Australia.

Calder, M. Personal Interview. 5th May 1992: Perth.

Carter, M. (1990) Framing Art: Introducing Theory and the Visual Image. Sydney: Hale & Iremonger Pty Limited.

Clark, G. (1987) American Ceramics, 1876 to the Present. London: Booth-Clibborn Editions.

Dinham, J. (1991) Artwords. Edith Cowan University: Perth. No. 1.

Domier, P. (1991) The New Ceramics: Trends and Traditions. Thames and Hudson: London.

Fleming, J. & Honour, H. (1977) The Penguin Dictionary of Decorative Arts. Allen Lane: London. p.583.

Fry, T. "Re-inventing Craft for Recreation" in Thompson, B. (Ed) (1992) Forceps of Language. Craft Realities: Sydney. pp. 80-7.

Jongeling, S., & Peel, 0. (Eds.) (1991) Reference Guide. Perth: Edith Cowan University, Division of Academic Programmes.

Kress, G. (Ed) (1988) Communication and Culture. NSW University Press: Sydney p.22.

Lynn, M. D., Clay Today. Contemporary Ceramists and their Work. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art & Chronicles Books. p. 19

Mussen, P. H., Conger, J.J. & Kanger, J. (1979) Child Development and Personality. (5th Ed) Harper and Row: New York.

O'Sullivan, T. et al. (1988) Key Concepts in Communication. Rotledge: London. p.228.

Osboume, H. (Ed) (1975) The Oxford Companion to the Decorative Arts. Oxford University Press: London.

Penkala, M. (Ed) (1980) European Pottery - A Handbook for the Collector. Interbook International: Netherlands. pp. 133-4.

Savage, G. & Newman, H. (1974) An Illustrated Dictionary of Ceramics. Thames and Hudson: London.

Walker, D. (1988) New Contemporaries: An Exhibition of Western Australian Crafts of the Eighties. Crafts Council of Western Australia: Perth.

Walker, D. "Contemporary Australian Craft" in Craftwest. Craft Council of Western Australia: Perth. Summer 1992. p. 8.

APPENDIX 1: Artist's CV

MIKE CALDER

APPENDIX 2: Drawing of "Little Parakeet" and Exhibition Invitation