By Bernard Kerr
The major CAAWA event at the end of last year was the Ceramic Triennale planning day held at Fremantle Arts Centre on November 26th. I am including some material from that day so that our ceramic community is aware of what was discussed and the direction that the Triennale is heading. Most of this material concerns the theoretical and more academic side of the conference, but hopefully it may get you thinking and provide some material for discussion amongst your clay colleagues. The Triennale conference will be a major ceramic event for the Western Australian Ceramics community and include a rich variety of exhibitions, demonstrations, events, talks, markets and much more! The CAAWA committee has agreed that the Triennale will be called ‘WEDGE’ as the term provides a good conceptual basis for three days of the conference. WEDGE was chosen as the multiple meanings of the term linked well to aspects of contemporary ceramics. The CAAWA Triennale Steering Committee has held two meetings already this year and things are underway. We have developed a curatorial statement that needs to be ratified by the CAAWA committee at our next meeting. Here is the statement in its draft form: WEDGE That which connects us, that which supports us, that which divides us. Wedge proposes to explore connections, collaborations and divisions in ceramic practices within human culture. Our ability to manipulate, process and transform environmental materials through increasingly sophisticated understandings and application of elemental forces is continually reshaping our world and our position within it. Wedge invites individual or collaborative proposals that explore the ceramic field in relation to how clay practices may connect, support or divide us. Wedge aims to identify and interrogate the increasingly complex interactions between ceramic practice and current ethical, aesthetic, personal and environmental concerns. Artists are encouraged to engage with the connections, commonalities, spiritualties, fractures, disruptions and dissonances and the numerous incongruities apparent in ceramic practice and its intersection with contemporary life. Applications are due at a date to be determined mid 2023. The Australian Ceramic Trienalle is about ideas and experiences designed to revitalize thinking and explore developments in the ceramic field. Below are some of the ideas related to WEDGE: WEDGE TO CONNECT (verb) Mixing and blending pottery clay by kneading, cutting and throwing down to remove air pockets. WEDGE TO SUPPORT (verb) A solid substance with one thick end tapering to a thin edge that provides balance, support, stability and security. WEDGE: TO DIVIDE: (noun) Something with a thin edge that is used to divide and separate thoughts, objects or materials.
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