Matthew Katz on mon 26 mar 07
Bodies(Pier/Katz/Carty)
Hello,
I'm new to this board, so I am not quite sure if I am doing this correctly.
First I would like to say thanks for all the discussion, more than anything
we like to inspire discussion.
Secondly I need to clear up a few issues. There seems to be some of vitriol
in the message boards for some of the topics that we address in our talk.
More specifically there seems to be some slander towards Bill Carty, and his
experience. Now I can not speak directly for Bill, we are merely business
partners and not conjoined twins. So what I would like to say is that the
slandering of Dr. Carty's inexperience is completely without merit. I can
say this with complete confidence as I am the reason that the arguments
presented are slanderous.
I am an Artist. I have a B.F.A. from Alfred and an M.F.A. from The
University of Colorado-Boulder in Ceramics. I just happen to have a penchant
for the sciences (my family is full of doctors). But my passion is for
Ceramic Art, My profession is to discover how ceramic science applies to
ceramic art. I was brought in by Dr. Carty because he was aware of his own
short comings in applying the artists perspective. What he has created is a
research environment where the concerns of the artists are addresses in a
analytical and scientific fashion.
My job it to take the scientific data that we generate in our research, and
to figure out how it applies to artists. That is what I do, so to say that
our information is irrelevant because it comes form a scientific background
is ludicrous. We strive to discover the true science behinds ceramic art.
Weather we like to admit it, anytime we mix a clay or glaze, make a piece,
or fire a kiln we are committing acts of science.
So, I am not addressing the specific topics posted as I'm still digging
through the discussion, and I will be happy to answers questions if anyone
would like to ask them.
So, again, thanks for all the interests, and I would be happy to answer
questions as they come to me and to continue the conversation.
Thanks,
Matthew Katz
Alfred, NY
--
Matthew Katz
Alfred, NY
claystevslat on tue 27 mar 07
Bodies(Pier/Katz/Carty)
Matthew -- Thanks for the well thought out comment. Don't worry
about the means through which you join in the conversation, the
people who would abuse you for one thing will equally abuse you for
another. Conversely, the people who will accept you will accept
you with or without an explanation of your background.
I missed Dr. Carty speak on clay, but heard him on glaze, and I
suspect he has been misrepresented here, in the main, by people who
were elsewhere during his presentations.
Were there good things in that presentation? Of course, the
positive audience reaction showed that. Were there flaws? Well,
probably. Clay (and handling clay and firing clay) is a complex
issue -- systems with multiple inputs and factors often are terribly
complex. No reason why clay should be different.
Dr. Carty gave me (and many other people) many things to think
about. Sometimes he confirmed things I already suspected, other
times he provided whole new perspectives. But with complex
systems, something is always simplified. And, as Jon Singer said
(apropos of a completely different issue) --
ANY ATTEMPT TO SIMPLIFY A COMPLEX SYSTEM TO MAKE ONE RELATIONSHIP
MORE APPARENT EQUALLY CONCEALS SOME OTHER RELATIONSHIP. (That's
not an exact quotation, but it's close, and I think of it as the
Singer postulate.)
Perhaps Dr. Carty's take on clay aging revealed one relationship
at the cost of another perspective. Nonetheless, he approached
the issue fairly and in an organized fashion, and his tests
deserve respect -- it appears they were fairly conducted, and
revealed certain particular facts. I suspect far more of his
audience took the information as a valuable insight than objected
to it.
Best wishes -- Steve Slatin
--- In clayart@yahoogroups.com, Matthew Katz
wrote:
>
> Hello,
> I'm new to this board, so I am not quite sure if I am doing this
correctly.
Ivor and Olive Lewis on wed 28 mar 07
Dear Matthew Katz,=20
Welcome to Clayart.
Unfortunately I have not seen those images which were shown at the =
recent conference but I would like to have a look at them.
There are many things we do not know about clay. I am sure we =
misunderstand the nature of plasticity. More attention is given to its =
solids than to the water, more attention to air than to other gas =
inclusions.=20
Creating a symbiosis between Science and Art will be fruitful and we, as =
a community, should benefit from your work with Prof Carty.
My best regards to you,
Ivor Lewis.
Redhill,
South Australia.
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