Woodfire Conference Themes
There are certainly a great deal of things we could talk about at Europe's first
Woodfire Conference. With no predecessor a wide, unplowed field lays open in
which one could get lost. Because of that we have decided to concentrate on
specific themes.
International Overview
An inventory as a starting point: We would like to know where certain
characteristics evolved, how do local traditions combine for example with
japanese influences. What kiln types are prevalent, what kind of wood and clay
are used? How do galleries and the public react to woodfired work? What
interesting developments in technique and aesthetics are there in other corners
of the world? Are these developments comparable and are they regional or
global? The conference will concentrate on these questions with a forum, a
debate, and several individual lectures on
Friday.
Woodfiring and the Environment
We woodfirers have it good: wood is a renewable resource and does not contribute
to global warming, making woodfiring a green technology. This is however not a
fact that we can rest upon, because when flames and thick clouds of smoke
billow out of the chimney a different optical impression is given. If wood
starts replacing oil and gas for heating, the demand and the price will rise.
How much wood is necessary to achieve which aesthetic result? With which kiln
and which wood? Are there new ideas in kiln building? What roll does the
ceramic raw material play? Does black smoke mean reduction? What roll does water play in firing? We want to
occupy ourselves with such questions on
Saturday.
Aesthetic of Woodfiring
This theme has astonishingly alot in common with the previous one. Woodfiring as
its own art form arose in Japan as a reflection of nature, the environment; the
surfaces
Woodfire Conference Themes
There are certainly a great deal of things we could talk about at Europe's first
Woodfire Conference. With no predecessor a wide, unplowed field lays open in
which one could get lost. Because of that we have decided to concentrate on
specific themes.
International Overview
An inventory as a starting point: We would like to know where certain
characteristics evolved, how do local traditions combine for example with
japanese influences. What kiln types are prevalent, what kind of wood and clay
are used? How do galleries and the public react to woodfired work? What
interesting developments in technique and aesthetics are there in other corners
of the world? Are these developments comparable and are they regional or
global? The conference will concentrate on these questions with a forum, a
debate, and several individual lectures on
Friday.
Woodfiring and the Environment
We woodfirers have it good: wood is a renewable resource and does not contribute
to global warming, making woodfiring a green technology. This is however not a
fact that we can rest upon, because when flames and thick clouds of smoke
billow out of the chimney a different optical impression is given. If wood
starts replacing oil and gas for heating, the demand and the price will rise.
How much wood is necessary to achieve which aesthetic result? With which kiln
and which wood? Are there new ideas in kiln building? What roll does the
ceramic raw material play? Does black smoke mean reduction? What roll does water play in firing? We want to
occupy ourselves with such questions on
Saturday.
Aesthetic of Woodfiring
This theme has astonishingly alot in common with the previous one. Woodfiring as
its own art form arose in Japan as a reflection of nature, the environment; the
surfaces bring to mind rock formations and reflect the force and creative
potential of the elements. To this very day japanese woodfirers use imprints of
tree bark: the tree fades but its imprint becomes something everlasting, the
breath of eternity... Forum and debate on Sunday.
Woodfiring and Education
At the University of Northern Arizona alone there are 7 woodfired kilns and at
other Universities in the USA the situation is not much different. In addition
there are a large number of Woodfire Conferences and other activities which
have resulted in woodfiring becoming mainstream in ceramics. What effects can
unfold as the result of a woodfired kiln in an educational institution? Is the
complexity of woodfiring appropriate for seminars? Or, because of the direct
experience with fire, is woodfiring exactly the right thing to get people
excited about ceramics? Forum, debate and lectures on
Saturday and Sunday.
bring to mind rock formations and reflect the force and creative potential of
the elements. To this very day japanese woodfirers use imprints of tree bark:
the tree fades but its imprint becomes something everlasting, the breath of
eternity... Forum and debate on Sunday.
Woodfiring and Education
At the University of Northern Arizona alone there are 7 woodfired kilns and at
other Universities in the USA the situation is not much different. In addition
there are a large number of Woodfire Conferences and other activities which
have resulted in woodfiring becoming mainstream in ceramics. What effects can
unfold as the result of a woodfired kiln in an educational institution? Is the
complexity of woodfiring appropriate for seminars? Or, because of the direct
experience with fire, is woodfiring exactly the right thing to get people
excited about ceramics? Forum, debate and lectures on
Saturday and Sunday.
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