I think I should have realized this soon – crochet looks like chain mail and knitting too in some instances but definitely crochet. I know the stitch is called chaining and I guess the thought has crossed my mind before but the work of Ruth Borgenicht really drove this idea home. She creates chain mail out stoneware materials and subsequently uses that to create vessels, wall art, etc.
They’re really unbelievable. I shutter to think how stressful the firings must be as they must be pre-assembled before that, right? I don’t really get how they remain so acute, not floppy or smushed as some things can get before your firing takes effect.
It’s nutty to me that she is able to achieve this beauty and regularity out of clay! I love this in her artist statement, “Using clay to make a protective mesh is contradictory; for how can it defend anything, much less itself? Visually stone-like, the pieces appear strong and impenetrable, belying their inherent fragility.”
To me this has an almost plasticine look to it. So regular in tone, and consistent. This reminds me of what the beginning of my yurt will look like once it gets started.
You may have guessed this but Ruth spent a great deal of her life in college studying math – this makes sense to me looking at the regularity and multiples visible in her pieces.
And then there’s chaos! Her wall art pieces might be my favorite though her tree (2 above) is very visually appealing.
It almost looks soft, like knitwear – but no. Ruth currently works out of NJ and was raised both there and in Israel. The other thing that I like a lot about Ruth and her site is that she lists prices for objects. As a young-ish person (my 28th birthday is next week) and therefore a new collector of art, it’s great fun to know if artists I admire might be within my grasp to own a piece of their creativity! It’s very rare to see that openness though.
Tags: 3D, artist, ceramics, chainmail, sculpture, wall art, woven