Improvisational patterning

Over the past few years I've developed a fascination with patterns. These patterns can occur in visual, audio, and movement. I demonstrated patterns of movement that I've learned over the past few years through dance. Similarly I have learned to play traditional drums from both west africa and the middle east. In art I have observed patterns and cut and pasted them together to create something my own. For each application I observe and learn traditional/conventional patterns and layer them however I so choose at the moment. So far it has turned into something almost therapeutic, obsessive, and completely given to escapism but I haven't quite played it out yet so I plan on continuing it. For the semester's work I plan to continue with my play to see where it takes me before graduation and being tossed out to find a "real job." Who knows, maybe its just a need to escape for the last few months before finding said "real job"

Since I'm usually a painter, ceramics is useful for me to play out 2d vs 3d pattern/form/ect. Because of that you'll probably see a fair amount of surface treatment in my work. Both the forms that I create and the way that I carve out the surfaces are important to me and my process. Among my favorite inspirations for visual patterns are islamic art, art nouveau, and 14th century french illuminations. For the purpose of ceramics I plan on focusing primarily on the islamic patterns for their ease of translation into ceramic and their geometric quality.


The mathematic equations behind the symetries for islamic patterns are highly fascinating to me although they go beyond my commitment to meticulousness. I can't quite comprehend how they work or how one would lay them out. Instead I mimic them and use them almost like toys, without doing the math for perfection.

My starting point for the semester will be working with separate double walled forms, moving to connected forms, and then to I'm not quite sure yet... maybe building together with the previous projects and continue trying my hand at making traditional ceramic drums (doumbeks/darbukas/dohollas)

I think that about covers my thoughts at the moment... some other things to look at:

http://www.catnaps.org/islamic/geometry.html



-Jen Hintz