Duane Kimball on mon 28 apr 97
Some of you may have read the POWER OF CLAY at Tony Hansen's digitalfire.com
site, where this subject receives some attention and there is a footnote to
the leading art historian of temples in India, Stella Kramrisch. Most
others have simply built on her genius, which includes demonstrating that
the clay itself was the goddess, and temples were constructed of clay as a
way of making the temple itself of the numinous. Incidentally, the Hindu
word for the sanctum sanctorum of the Hindu temple, which was a
reliquary/tomb, is the same word for womb. This was enough to get me making
egg shaped cremation vessels. Next time I hope to come back a tile on the
temple wall. Kathleen in New Hampshire
Frances Evans on tue 29 apr 97
Ceramic Arts Discussion L,CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU,goodmedia.com writes:
----------------------------
Kathleen:
When I first got into ceramics, I read lots about the connection between clay
vessels and tombs. This seems to occur in most cultures whether Egypt, New
Mexico, S. America or China. It struck me that there is a synergy of
meaning between life, death and rebirth that clay seems to symbolize. So my
first efforts were, believe it or not, funerial urns.
This weekend I completed a labyrinth, which is a symbol found in most
Mediterranean cultures and has pre-historic roots. Although in Christian
times, it symbolized the pilgrimage to Jerusalem as evidenced in the
labyrinth in Chartres Cathedral, for me the labyrinth symbolizes a journey
back to the Goddess. I shall be using it as a personal meditation tool.
If the goddess stands for anything, I think it is that archetypal meaning, of
the inner, yin, the unending growth and decay of life as well as the thing
that endures underneath the eternal flux. She manifests in various cultures,
and is universal. I have lots of background on this topic from my studies of
mythology, renaissance literature, Jungian psychology and my own poetry. So
if the need arises in regards to other clayarters, I'd be happy to share some
insights and discussion.
Frances
Toronto, Canada
Original message----------------------------
Some of you may have read the POWER OF CLAY at Tony Hansen's digitalfire.com
site, where this subject receives some attention and there is a footnote to
the leading art historian of temples in India, Stella Kramrisch. Most
others have simply built on her genius, which includes demonstrating that
the clay itself was the goddess, and temples were constructed of clay as a
way of making the temple itself of the numinous. Incidentally, the Hindu
word for the sanctum sanctorum of the Hindu temple, which was a
reliquary/tomb, is the same word for womb. This was enough to get me making
egg shaped cremation vessels. Next time I hope to come back a tile on the
temple wall. Kathleen in New Hampshire
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