Marcia Selsor on sun 1 nov 09
Back in the 60s , our design class was blind folded and taken around
downtown Phila. including the subway concourse.
Our assignment was to recreate the experience for the Profs when they
were blindfolded and presented with out projects.
I had a blind student in Montana back in the 70s who was a good
thrower. I would have him demonstrate to others. He wanted to throw
lids. I taught him how to use calipers with impressions on a slab to
reset the outside measure for the lid.
He also was my partner for lifting the raku barrel on pulleys when we
raku fired. He made beautiful forms.
Marcia Selsor
http://marciaselsor.com
A Buck on sun 1 nov 09
A story.
Back when I was in college I got involved with a group of blind people. Th=
ere were 4 guys that lived in one house together. Interesting fellows. Wh=
en my roommate and I found out that those guys had never been in the snow (=
that isn't uncommon for those living in Las Angeles) we decided it was time=
for them to have that experience. We showed up at there place at 6:00 in =
the morning one Saturday to take them up in the mountains. Of course they =
were not awake yet so as they, grumbling about the early hour, got to motiv=
ating we prepared breakfast. We had brought eggs, bread and bacon. We mad=
e toast. We fried up the bacon. Then we scrambled up the eggs. Pretty ba=
sic breakfast one would think. Anyway, they showed up at the table and we =
served up breakfast. As they ate they got kind of funny expressions on the=
ir faces and told us that they wouldn't have thought to make up eggs like t=
his. My friend and I looked at each other and said, "you haven't
made scrambled eggs before"? They laughed and said "No, we just wouldn't =
think to put sugar and Cinnamon in them. It's good though."
It turns out that the big ceramic shaker sitting on the stove that said "PE=
PPER" in big stenciled letters was what they used to make cinnamon toast wi=
th. "Couldn't you smell the difference" they asked? Too funny. We saw "P=
EPPER" and didn't think it could be anything else. It was a good lesson.
I have to say something else about those guys. They were absolutely fearle=
ss. When we got to the mountains and the snow, they were delighted. We'd t=
ell them to jump off the side of the hill to land in a snow bank and pretty=
soon they were diving off the side of the hill and doing flips into the de=
ep snow. Put them on an inner tube on a snow covered slope. No fear, just=
shrieks of laughter as they went flying down the hill.
Another time, we rented tandem bicycles in Griffith Park. These guys jumpe=
d on those bikes like they had been doing it forever. Perfect balance. Le=
aned into the turns like it was the most natural thing in the world. The g=
uy I was paired up with had partial sight. Sort of like shadows on a cloud=
y night. After a while he demanded his turn on the front of the bike. Too=
k it too. No fear from him. Scared the #### out of me. It taught me a li=
ttle about fear and what it means to be alive. Just because something or s=
omeone tells you it can't be done, it doesn't mean you can't do it. And ju=
st because a pot says "pepper" on the side, it isn't always true.
Andy Buck
Raincreek Pottery
Port Orchard, WA
Vince Pitelka on sun 1 nov 09
Andy Buck wrote:
"I have to say something else about those guys. They were absolutely
fearless. When we got to the mountains and the snow, they were delighted.
We'd tell them to jump off the side of the hill to land in a snow bank and
pretty soon they were diving off the side of the hill and doing flips into
the deep snow. . . . . Just because something or someone tells you it can't
be done, it doesn't mean you can't do it. And just because a pot says
"pepper" on the side, it isn't always true."
This is such a great story, and I thank Andy Buck for posting it. I don't
remember what first made me wonder what certain pots would feel like in the
hands of a blind person, but I have frequently considered it. In my image
collection that I use for teaching, I have a shot of a beautiful blackware
Zulu pot from South Africa, and it has a wonderful abstract pattern of
raised bumps. The first time I saw that pot (I believe it was in the book
"Smashing Pots" about African tribal ceramics), I could not help but wonder
what a blind person would experience in handling it. I wonder if anyone ha=
s
ever imbedded coded Braille messages in relief surface decoration on
ceramics. I'm not planning to do that, but most of my current work involve=
s
relief pattern imagery done with bisque stamps, and the tactile quality of
these pieces is as important as the visual impression. I have never seen a
blind person handling one of these pots, but it's certainly something to
think about.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
James Freeman on sun 1 nov 09
On Sun, Nov 1, 2009 at 6:41 PM, Vince Pitelka wrote:
> I wonder if anyone has
> ever imbedded coded Braille messages in relief surface decoration on
> ceramics. I'm not planning to do that, but most of my current work
> involves
> relief pattern imagery done with bisque stamps, and the tactile quality o=
f
> these pieces is as important as the visual impression. I have never seen=
a
> blind person handling one of these pots, but it's certainly something to
> think about.
>
Vince...
Clayart member Jeff Longtin has a line of six dot braille pottery. His
website was sixdot.com, but it appears to be down, and come to think of it
Jeff has been silent for a while now. You still out there, Jeff?
...James
James Freeman
"All I say is by way of discourse, and nothing by way of advice. I should
not speak so boldly if it were my due to be believed."
-Michel de Montaigne
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesfreemanstudio/
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com/clayart/
A Buck on sun 1 nov 09
Back in the early 70's I went to a multimedia art show at the Clairmont Col=
=3D
leges in Southern California. When you got to the door, if you were not bl=
=3D
ind, they put a blindfold on you. You followed a rope handrail around the =
=3D
gallery and had to reach out to touch each piece of art. It was a fantasti=
=3D
c show. I think a show set up along the same lines today would be just as =
=3D
valid and exciting. It's something for educators, gallery managers, and th=
=3D
e rest of us, to consider and would lend itself to ceramics entries.
Andy Buck
Raincreek Pottery
Port Orchard, WA
--- On Sun, 11/1/09, Vince Pitelka wrote:
> From: Vince Pitelka
> Subject: Re: Blind people and pots
> To: Clayart@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
> Date: Sunday, November 1, 2009, 2:41 PM
>I don't
> remember what first made me wonder what certain pots would
> feel like in the
> hands of a blind person, but I have frequently considered
> it.=3DA0 In my image
> collection that I use for teaching, I have a shot of a
> beautiful blackware
> Zulu pot from South Africa, and it has a wonderful abstract
> pattern of
> raised bumps.=3DA0 The first time I saw that pot (I
> believe it was in the book
> "Smashing Pots" about African tribal ceramics), I could not
> help but wonder
> what a blind person would experience in handling it.=3DA0
> I wonder if anyone has
> ever imbedded coded Braille messages in relief surface
> decoration on
> ceramics.=3DA0 I'm not planning to do that, but most of my
> current work involves
> relief pattern imagery done with bisque stamps, and the
> tactile quality of
> these pieces is as important as the visual
> impression.=3DA0 I have never seen a
> blind person handling one of these pots, but it's certainly
> something to
> think about.
> - Vince
>=3D20
> Vince Pitelka
> Appalachian Center for Craft
> Tennessee Tech University
> vpitelka@dtccom.net;
> wpitelka@tntech.edu
> http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
> =3D0A=3D0A=3D0A
Anne Elisabeth Maurland on mon 2 nov 09
My good friend, Iowa potter Tim Langholz (www.langholzpottery.com), who
passed away a year ago today, decorated most of his work with incised
lines.
He made one vase with especially deeply incised and complex patterns
for his wife's grandma, who was blind.
Needless to say, it's one of the family's most treasured pots today.
Elisabeth
On Nov 1, 2009, at 4:41 PM, Vince Pitelka wrote:
> Andy Buck wrote:
> "I have to say something else about those guys. They were absolutely
> fearless. When we got to the mountains and the snow, they were
> delighted.
> We'd tell them to jump off the side of the hill to land in a snow bank
> and
> pretty soon they were diving off the side of the hill and doing flips
> into
> the deep snow. . . . . Just because something or someone tells you it
> can't
> be done, it doesn't mean you can't do it. And just because a pot says
> "pepper" on the side, it isn't always true."
>
> This is such a great story, and I thank Andy Buck for posting it. I
> don't
> remember what first made me wonder what certain pots would feel like
> in the
> hands of a blind person, but I have frequently considered it. In my
> image
> collection that I use for teaching, I have a shot of a beautiful
> blackware
> Zulu pot from South Africa, and it has a wonderful abstract pattern of
> raised bumps. The first time I saw that pot (I believe it was in the
> book
> "Smashing Pots" about African tribal ceramics), I could not help but
> wonder
> what a blind person would experience in handling it. I wonder if
> anyone has
> ever imbedded coded Braille messages in relief surface decoration on
> ceramics. I'm not planning to do that, but most of my current work
> involves
> relief pattern imagery done with bisque stamps, and the tactile
> quality of
> these pieces is as important as the visual impression. I have never
> seen a
> blind person handling one of these pots, but it's certainly something
> to
> think about.
> - Vince
>
> Vince Pitelka
> Appalachian Center for Craft
> Tennessee Tech University
> vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
> http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
>
Brian on mon 2 nov 09
On 2/11/2009, at 11:41 AM, Vince Pitelka wrote:
> but most of my current work involves
> relief pattern imagery done with bisque stamps, and the tactile
> quality of
> these pieces is as important as the visual impression. I have never
> seen a
> blind person handling one of these pots, but it's certainly
> something to
> think about.
Vince
In the 1980's I was a participant in a small ceramic exhibition
specifically aimed at blind people.
Most of us, including myself, used obvious and exaggerated textures
with the idea that it would attract "touching"
The big surprise was that the blind "touchers", without doubt, were
most attracted to the smooth glazed and smooth mat surfaces.
Evidently, their super sensitive fingers found subtleties, tactile
pleasure and minute variety in something that we non-blind people just
do not see or expect.
I guess that heavy texture is very much like SHOUTING
'very interesting topic!
Brian
----------------------------
Brian Gartside
Pukekohe,2677, New Zealand
http://www.gartside.info
http://www.briangartside.com
Dannon Rhudy on mon 2 nov 09
When I was in grad school we did an exhibition
called "A Show for All Senses", with the intent
of making work that would be interesting to folks
who might not see well, or have other challenges.
I made a number of pieces that I thought might
be interesting to people without sight, and in
fact began my still on-going series of porcelain
landscapes. The most popular pieces for that
show were burnished, pit fired pieces with areas
that were smooth and areas that were textured.
People liked them best whether they could see the pots
or not- everyone like the way they felt.
When I did some post-grad work for a few months
at Alfred, one of the very first assignments we were
given was to sit in the dark, blindfolded, and make a
self-protrait mask. It was amazing how people
approached this work, and the results that were
achieved. A number of the masks were quite accurate
physically, and almost all were recognizable.
I used a similar assignment for my own students
on several occasions later on - always interesting,
and the students enjoyed it, too.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
steve graber on thu 5 nov 09
boy that's an interesting piece of info!=3DA0 =3D0A=3D0A=3D0A=3DA0Steve Gra=
ber, Grabe=3D
r's Pottery, Inc=3D0AClaremont, California USA=3D0AThe Steve Tool - for awe=
some=3D
texture on pots! =3D0Awww.graberspottery.com steve@graberspottery.com =3D0=
A=3D0A=3D
=3D0AOn Laguna Clay's website=3D0Ahttp://www.lagunaclay.com/blogs/ =3D0A=3D=
0A=3DA0=3D0A=3D
=3D0A> Evidently, their super sensitive fingers found subtleties, tactile=
=3D0A>=3D
pleasure and minute variety in something that we non-blind people just=3D0=
A>=3D
do not see or expect.=3D0A> I guess that heavy texture is very much like S=
HO=3D
UTING=3D0A> 'very interesting topic!=3D0A> =3D0A> Brian=3D0A> =3D0A> ------=
----------=3D
------------=3D0A> Brian Gartside=3D0A> Pukekohe,2677, New Zealand=3D0A> ht=
tp://w=3D
ww.gartside.info=3D0A> http://www.briangartside.com=3D0A=3D0A=3D0A=3D0A
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