Copy of journal article; Hay, G., (2002), Lithuanian symposium, in Pottery in Australia/The journal of Australian Ceramics, (41), 3, 53-55,(with permission, from Pottery in Australia (Email 29/3/2002 and photographer Steve Mattison (Email 7/1/2003). More paper clay journal articles? here. More writing by Graham Hay? here.
Lithuanian symposium
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By Graham Hay
Panevezys International Ceramics Symposium 2002 European ceramic symposiums have been held during their summer holidays for decades. International and local artists come together to make, share and socialise. The host city, government and businesses provide meals, accommodation, materials, technical support and other resources. Each of the independent Baltic countries has their own distinct culture despite successive German and Russian occupation. Each is an interesting blend of rural folk craft, former soviet modernism and international post-modernism. Lithuania is particularly interesting as it is about to enter the European Community, its close proximity to both Europe and Russia, and a relatively low cost of living. Within Lithuania there are at least three ceramic symposiums. The best know is the Panevežys International Symposium, which has grown out of a local event in 1983. Panevezys is a typical modern European town of approximately 130,000, the forth-biggest city in a country of 4 million people. The Symposium participants created and fired the work within the ceramic division at the Polish owned AB "Panevezio stiklas" (Panevezys Glass Factory). The Ukrainian white chamotte clay, is fired to 1380 oC, making it ideal to quickly build large, frost proof sculpture. Because it contains 40 percent grog, it is ideal for hand building, but rough on the hands. Rather than just use the clay provided, I first had to convert the clay into paperclay. Because their newspapers did not break down in water as quickly as those back in Perth, I followed Brian Gartside's lead and used rolls of toilet paper. Fortunately the hundreds of dip'n'stick joins in each of my test works survived and I could confidently get on with building larger works. Similarly, dry paperclay constructions dipped in liquid paperclay dried crack free. The grog did reduce the dry structure strength of the unfired paperclay, (usually arising from adding fibre). I suggest others in a similar situation use a blend of cellulose fibre, from both newspaper and something with a longer fibre. Ceramist Egidijus Radvenskas has been converting the Ukrainian white chamotte clay into paperclay for some time. He uses a much higher paper content than myself, makes work with very thin and light walls, so that there is minimal warping during firing. His objective is a very light and strong ceramic body, perfect for posting. The factory artists; Romualdas Aleliunas and Eugenijus Cibinskas were both highly knowledgeable, helpful and generous. As past Symposium participants, they were often timely with their help, conversation and advise. |
Mari Wells (Wales) hand built 2002.
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From above: Ludmila Kovarikova.
Steve Mattison-work in progress.
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We felt like locals after a few weeks, as the locals were very friendly, and many were bilingual, so our group conversations were in a fluid mix of English, Lithuanian, Russian and Czech!
The ceramic symposium is a significant local event with many newspapers, radios and television stations repeatedly covering the story in some depth, and banners in the city square. This is refreshing after the lack of mass media interest in Australia. This media interest and a well resourced symposium reflects both the organisational skills and persuasive powers of Jolanta Lebednykiene, who is both Chairperson of the Organizing Committee and Director of the Civic Art Gallery. Being an annual event with an international focus also makes it more media-friendly and ensured the continued private and public sector sponsorship. We worked 12-hour days for six days a week, with an excursion around Lithuania on the day off. The long drives and a four day trip to the Baltic sea were particularly good for sleeping, as I overcame the effects of jetlag and the long days. During the final firing we presented slide talks and/or demonstrations at a one-day conference. There was considerable interest in my paperclay demonstration and I was invited to give another to a group of free (non-production) ceramicists the next day. The other 2002 international ceramists included: Iva Ouhrabkova, a Czech actress, set and interior designer who defines herself as a "hobby" ceramist. This is an understatement as she has a large body of work, of hand built with finger-thick rods of clay up to 2 metres high. She has created church altars as well as temporary installations in places of worship and her own private "gallery" under a restaurant. Ouhrabkova creates and fires at a brick and pipe factory. Another Czech is professional ceramicist and Jungian Ludmila Kovarikova who slabs builds binary architectural forms up to 2m high. Her slab works feature pillars, spikes, walnut pods and cages. Her background is in traditional pottery, boxes and teapots. Anders Ruhwald is a recent Danish graduate with experience in the USA and in assisting Nina Hole. Ruhwald's current work consists of very lush glazed organic/human forms combined with mechanical sections pressed from plaster moulds. He has just won the Danish national Craft Award. Steve Mattison from Wales coordinates the sell-out biannual Aberystwyth International Ceramics Festival and lectures at tertiary level. Mattison produced hand built lower-half figures upon tall Stonehenge-like pillars. The figures were often in groups, with some sprouting wing-like constructions. |
Graham Hay, Paperclay construction, 2002.
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Iva Ouhrabkova, handbuilt 2002.
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Also from Wales is community artist and set designer Meri Wells who built quietly humorous humanistic animal characters, some up to one and a half metres high. The figures included a fox, bull, rabbit and a priest feature in her work.
The Lithuania ceramists included Audrius Janusonis, who built a 2 metre wide clay face of a sleeping woman, then a negative mould of clay from it, a 1.5m high pigeon and a life size Frank Zappa bust, all within the first three weeks.
Fellow Lithuanian Nerute Ciuksiene created thin and open wall vessel sculptures up to 2m high, with fine holes pieced through the multi-coloured clays. Ciuksiene has participated in previous Panevezys Symposiums, as well as creating light filled installations of lion women, butterfly men, clouds and other fantasy imagery.
Another Lithuanian is Jurate Kirtiklyte, who exhibited stylish drawings and fragments of vessels and food at her graduate exhibition a few years ago. At the symposium Kirtiklyte spend considerable time experimenting with the clay before created delicate texture within and over simple geometric forms.
Aldona Salteniene, the matriarch of Lithuanian ceramics, teaches at the Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts and has participated many times in this symposium. Her wolves/ dinosaurian heads have been exhibited internationally, appeared this time with bodies and stunted peg legs.
The Lithuanian ceramicist Jovita Laurusaite defines her work as a naive style exclusively of women shaped as vessels, not as sculpture. Her naive forms down played the rich patterns and pictures on the surfaces. The mediaeval inspired pictures and narratives included rams' heads, intimate moments with a lover, washing, filling vases from fountains etc.
At the conclusion of the symposium the work was exhibited at the Panevezys Civic Art Gallery for two months. Artists donate one work to the factory owner, the Civic Art Gallery collection and a large outdoor sculpture to the city of Panevezys, with the balance being their own.
The Lithuania ceramists included Audrius Janusonis, who built a 2 metre wide clay face of a sleeping woman, then a negative mould of clay from it, a 1.5m high pigeon and a life size Frank Zappa bust, all within the first three weeks.
Fellow Lithuanian Nerute Ciuksiene created thin and open wall vessel sculptures up to 2m high, with fine holes pieced through the multi-coloured clays. Ciuksiene has participated in previous Panevezys Symposiums, as well as creating light filled installations of lion women, butterfly men, clouds and other fantasy imagery.
Another Lithuanian is Jurate Kirtiklyte, who exhibited stylish drawings and fragments of vessels and food at her graduate exhibition a few years ago. At the symposium Kirtiklyte spend considerable time experimenting with the clay before created delicate texture within and over simple geometric forms.
Aldona Salteniene, the matriarch of Lithuanian ceramics, teaches at the Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts and has participated many times in this symposium. Her wolves/ dinosaurian heads have been exhibited internationally, appeared this time with bodies and stunted peg legs.
The Lithuanian ceramicist Jovita Laurusaite defines her work as a naive style exclusively of women shaped as vessels, not as sculpture. Her naive forms down played the rich patterns and pictures on the surfaces. The mediaeval inspired pictures and narratives included rams' heads, intimate moments with a lover, washing, filling vases from fountains etc.
At the conclusion of the symposium the work was exhibited at the Panevezys Civic Art Gallery for two months. Artists donate one work to the factory owner, the Civic Art Gallery collection and a large outdoor sculpture to the city of Panevezys, with the balance being their own.
Copy of journal article; Hay, G., (2002), Lithuanian symposium, in Pottery in Australia/The journal of Australian Ceramics, (41), 3, 53-55,(with permission, from Pottery in Australia (Email 29/3/2002 and photographer Steve Mattison (Email 7/1/2003). More paper clay journal articles? here. More writing by Graham Hay? here.
