Firing : Philosophies within Contemporary Ceramic Practice

Firing : Philosophies within Contemporary Ceramic Practice
ISBN: 9781861269355
Publication Date: 1 September 2007

The firing of clay is one of the most significant developments in the history of humankind. It is a technological advance, now taken so much for granted, that many have forgotten the ancient power that fire and change exercised over the lives of our ancestors and their imaginations.

This book is an attempt to redress that balance by investigating the place of firing in a contemporary context of myth, poetics, philosophy and technology.

Firing is a creative process, whose aesthetic importance develops out of technique. Through an understanding of the chemistry of firing and of the methodologies used to fire ceramics, a context is provided for interpreting the practical and philosophical rationales utilised by contemporary potters and artists. This beautifully illustrated book also creates a narrative through its imagery.

Many of the images have been specially commissioned to both inspire and inform.

About the Author

David Jones graduated form the University of Warwick in Philosophy and Literature. He turned to ceramics when he realised there were no real jobs for philosophers. His ceramics have been exhibited internationally for the past twenty-five years.

He is a senior academic in the Ceramics Department at the University of Wolvehampton, and acknowledges their support, and that of Arts Council England, in writing and researching this book. He is a fellow of the Crafts Potters Association of Great Britain.