confirmation-of-practice

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Soap chalice assembled

With the deadline of COP almost upon me I have finally taken the time to assemble the chalice and place it in situ for assessment. I am pleased with the piece and glad it is capable of assembly, as I feared its own fragility would cause it to collapse. Thankfully this was not the case and it stands unsupported in a respectable manner, there are obvious deformations and inconsistencies in the piece, however, I think it has done remarkably well considering I had never made soap before and not had research (due to there being non yet) for 2 part mould casting with it. Overall considering I only had a single chance to create the piece (due to the setting time taking weeks not including extra weeks for slow demoulding) I am pleased with what I have achieved. While in retrospect the deformations and slouching of the piece is a good analogy for eucharistic, it's industry, and my relationship with it.

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Finishing Jesmonite chalice

These images show the tools and processes of how I am finishing my chalices ready for submission and possibly exhibiting. The process involves creating small batches of Jesmonite and moulding them in the chalices gaps followed by smoothing off the excess, sanding, polishing and finishing with tung oil to complete.

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Demoulding soap casts: Reasonable Success

These first and final Casts in soap have thankfully been a success, rough around the edges but stable and self-supporting. Achieving this was difficult but I am glad that it has been possible as I can submit my work with complete Jesmonite and soap chalices. The next step will be assembling the chalices photographing them and submitting them for the extended may 28th deadline.

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Final Module Evaluation

This post will be my final and summative evaluation of my Confirmation Of Practice module and will detail my experience throughout it, discussing where I began where I have arrived and how I reached this point. As well as this I will describe my feelings on how I preformed during the module and how I can improve for the final module of the degree. I will not be covering in detail how I felt at each point during the module as I have created separate evaluations that address this in detail, I may however mention it in reflection.

To begin I want to say that this module as a whole has been among the most engaging and fulfilling to date that I have done, the flexibility and freedom to design and execute my own module has pushed me consider my own interest and practice in a more tentative manor, something I have enjoyed. The module itself was structured very well and despite the difficulties caused by Covid-19 I feel I have produced an outcome which is among the best I have produced to date. I do wonder what I could have generated without the obstacles we have all had to face but there is no utility in this and I am pleased overall with my performance. However, there is still some large and critical errors I have made and continue to make, these are things I will continue to address and work upon as I enter my final module and most likely after this course, I will address these in my evaluation.

At the beginning of this year and this module I knew that I wanted to engage more thoroughly with Christianity and religion in a more transparent way. This is a feeling even in reflection that I share, even if for different reasons. Previously I had addressed Christianity less clearly instead centring my project around  systems of faith and spirituality, both of which I find interesting but neither exactly being what I wanted to research. The rationale for not being as explicit was rooted in wanting to remain unconfrontational and not wanting to seem like I am targeting a particular group. However, my thinking changed on this as I became more honest about my interests but also where I am most knowledgeable, this is more apparent when referring to the criteria “Knowledge has been assimilated and individual and personal perspectives have been formulated and debated with effectiveness.”. This quote taken from the 70-79 grading band demonstrates that the topic that you are discussing should be well known to the student working on it. Having a working knowledge was important when addressing what I could build upon, and I knew that Christianity was the belief system I was most well versed in. These factors and others made choosing to research the Christian faith relevant and engaging. Upon deciding this I chose to continue my research into cleansing as a basis to research from, as again it something I have previously accumulated knowledge on. 

In retrospect I am glad I chose the subject matter I did and I will continue this line of inquiry again with the final module. The way I began addressing it could be improved when looking back at the initial stages. An example being my revision of methodology that I now see leaves little room for planning and course correction if needed. This revision of methodology is something I will again work on in the final module. Another aspect in need of improvement at the early stage was my lack of recorded engagement with the Cathedral staff. I spent time talking with the staff at the Cathedral but lacked the foresight to record much of it for evidencing sadly, this is something I plan to correct if I have the opportunity to meet the staff again while on the course (dependant on Covid-19 policy and law). The value gained from candid conversations with people within the Cathedral is invaluable and gives me insight and knowledge that could not be attained any other way. This trend of interaction with people is something I hope to cultivate and continue in the future, as it offers insight that is difficult to extract through other means. 

Moving on from the beginning of my project I began to consider the for that this module would take, and how I could convey ideas around cleansing effectively. This path quickly led me to the Cathedral, which then led me to discovering their own Chalice that is within the vault. This chalice that was locked away from me instantly engaged me and the mystery and lack of imagery made me even more interested. When research the Cathedrals chalice there was only one image which was black & white and was found within a book in the Cathedral library. The fact that I could see it but only in an obscured way made the object almost mythical and sacred, leading me to read about reliquaries and their capacity to affect the viewer. All of this research led to me want to make a chalice and use that as the conduit for my project, an ambition that took many forms and phases until I reached its current interpretation as a soap chalice. The journey of how this transpired can be found in this blog (it is too long to detail in here), but it led to an outcome much more detached than I first thought it could be. This is due to the wisdom of my tutors and my eagerness to listen to them, culminating in a series of objects I think are successful. However, going back to my mid point the research I was doing into the chalice and cleansing was primarily based in the cathedral library until it came time to begin making. Towards the end of the midpoint of the I came to realise that my initial machination was not daring enough or engaging as well as requiring skills I had not acquired or truly wished to. Creating a copper chalice was not what I wanted to do, and I thank my tutors for recognising this was the case and giving me the opportunity to reconsider and choose a better if not more explorative path. 

This new path led me to exploring soap and how I could allow my project to really becoming cleansing, physically and conceptually, I wanted the work to reflect my feelings of the Christian ritual Eucharist and transubstantiation (the belief that the bread and wine consumed during Eucharist becomes the literal body and blood of Christ) initially, giving the viewer a new perspective on the ritual that they might not have had. This by implication led to me developing what I thought of Eucharist, this is still something I am developing now and will continue to do. I looked into various associated avenues of research associated with what I thought of the ritual. This then culminated in the creation of my first concept for the soap chalice, this design for the chalice lasted awhile and only altered when I came to creating it, which at that point I realised the concept driving the chalice was misguided. This was due to my desire to build the blood red (wine) chalice off of unresolved feelings of negativity. This was driven by past experiences that I hadn't confronted, upon realising this I wanted to alter the design to reflect my new more considered approach and feelings. This change in attitude and perspective came with the decision to make a chalice series opposed to a single chalice. By doing this I could both convey the modular aspect to my chalice as well as convey a new perspectives. Through choosing multiple different chalices I could convey the darker implications I found in Eucharist while tempering it with other more balanced or complimentary perspectives as well. 

Upon making this change I arrived towards the end of my module where I began to make the actual soap chalice. This in itself was an internal struggle as originally I never intended to make the soap, upon conversing with a fellow CDC student they called into question my integrity as a maker and whether I could be classed as one while not making my own soap. This event was uncomfortable and painful initially, leading me to walk away and contemplate what they said was true, in the end I didn't come to a clear conclusion but I did realise that for my own integrity I wanted to make my own soap. So that is what I have done and at the time of writing this it is still drying and setting for it to be assembled. I am glad that I was questioned and pushed as it gave me a real sense of challenge and forced me to question my identity as a maker more thoroughly than before. I am unsure whether my soap will be as successful as my other chalices but I know that either way I have much more ownership over the object and process. 

Coming to the end of my recap and reflection of this module I am very happy with the experience it has given me. As I write this we have entered another lockdown which has given me more time to reflect and consider the module and my place in it. The freedom offered by primarily self-direct work has been good and given me space to form my own ideas unaffected by a brief. One of my primary concerns I held before this module and still now is whether I am capable of generating really interesting concepts at all. It is something I have not answered still, however, this module has given me tools to enable me to find out the answer to this difficult question. I have enjoyed this module greatly and learnt a lot about the importance of planning, sampling, testing and resolving ideas thoroughly. It has also made me understand the importance of feedback and community, especially now that there is little of it. These rituals of cleansing I have focused upon are becoming increasingly important to the world around us, I myself have found a great need for ritualism in the form of cleansing my body and my mind together. As these lockdowns continue and the difficulties increase I feel as though the cord I struck in this module and previous is still not completely played out, I question whether there can be a resolution in my final module that amalgamates all of these concepts and feelings about cleansing we have in our current society.

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Final Proposal development

1) This series of chalices attempts to reconsider and reframe the religious ritual of Eucharist, through manipulation of form and function, with the intention of offering a different perspective on ritual cleansing.

2) This body of work encourages the viewer to reconsider the religious ritual of Eucharist, through a series of cast vessels that manipulate the form and function of the chalice.

3) Within this series of chalices I have attempted to offer viewers a new perspective upon the Christian ritual Eucharist and our larger relationship with cleansing within this new world we inhabit.

4) This series of chalices presents viewers with an abstract, alternative perspective on Eucharist and how we interact with ritual cleansing in the world around us

I am not certain how to phrase my proposal and what information I should prioritise about it. The module as a whole covers quite a lot of topics, as it is an abstract piece of craft I also do not wish to taint or prescribe too much what the viewer might see in the work. I will continue to revisit this until I reach an satisfactory phrasing.

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Assessing Chalice Design And Attitudes Towards Making

As I come towards the end of this module I have been reassessing my module, during this process the chalice has been an important point of consideration. I am happy with the current design and still think it is the best iteration I designed, however, there is certainly room for improvement and beyond that expansion it what it could have achieved. The chalice is visually appealing to me and echo's a baroque style Roman Catholicism which hints at a specific denomination to an extent. The chalice delivers where I wanted it to and does little else, this is not a criticism upon the design nor my ability, instead it is a comment on my scope and willingness to dare. The project/module has pushed me to take on new techniques and materials in a manner that has required precision and dedication, despite this I am still a novice at all these aspects. It is no secret 3D printing, Soap making, and silicone casting are all new disciplines to me and I am proud of the progress I have made. Again though, I ruminate upon what I could have achieved had I known the processes better or if I had measured my abilities more accurately. In reality I cannot alter this but I can contemplate it with the hope of improving for the future, with every module I take larger risks and commit myself further. It is only recent that I felt a shift in my allegiance from ease to struggle, realising that the reward gained from struggling is much more bountiful than its former. This realisation comes later than I would hope but still gives me the opportunity to redeem myself, I now better grasp what is meant by integrity and craftmanship. It means an object is never finished, always longing for further refinement despite going unseen, as it is within the unseen and the concealed that quality is found and integrity is achieved. I would never claim to achieve this level of integrity and when selecting how to define it, I do so with the knowledge that my work is chronically flawed and like a chronic condition I will never cure it, instead I seek to alleviate its symptoms and ease the pain. This is the struggle, the knowledge I will never be free of chronic flaws is both comforting and defeating, the struggle ensures I do not become complacent, in fear I may succumb to my own inadequacy. However, the door is left ajar for insecurity and deficiency, I may falter and fail more than once and possibly irredeemably. Though, it is not the enemy, as the enemy is found within the fear of integrity itself, It will seek to hold me back and question if I should struggle further. I cannot afford to hearken its call as its allure is far too much for me and I know if I listen for too long I will fade into the obscurity I fear. This drawn out explanation illustrates my realisation that I much prefer working harder and taking larger risks with each project despite the implicit pitfalls. I do realise that current risks are still minimal and I wish to increase them. These chalices and reassessing them are part of this process of realising that I am still not taking enough risks. 

In my work moving forward I will seek to increase my dedication, confidence, and risk taking, as I want to make things that are worthwhile. Making new chalice designs and considering what I have and haven't done has shed new light on where this project could have gone, in both a positive and negative direction. I will be focusing upon the improvements I could have made now though, the most significant being the importance of subtlety and scale. If I was doing this project now with my current knowledge I might have tried to use the component making aspect of my project to enable an increased scale. I think that my chalices still possess a presence from their size, however I think that an increased weight and scale would give an air of gravitas to the monolithic vessel. The rationale for not doing it this time is primarily the affordability, this scale of printing and casting would cost me an amount that I cannot afford. To give this number some reality I will calculate it below:

Silicone = £18.00 per kg

PLA (printing) = £25.00 per 500g

Jesmonite = £10.00 for 2kg

Soap = £7.00 per kg

Resin = £11.00 per 500g

Total cost = £71.00 x 3 (I would need roughly 3 times this amount to complete the larger chalice)

This cost is an estimation and could cost less or more, the total cost would be more than I could afford when factoring in all the samples and naturally occurring mistakes I will have to pay for. I would love to have able to finance this but I did not have the foresight to find alternative funding which might have been available to me. In retrospect and moving forward I want to continue increasing scale and improve my printing and casting further.

The other problem I have encountered is the subtlety of my chalices design. I am still unsure whether my design is too verbose or loud, sacrificing a nuanced abstract subtlety for a loud and overzealous presentation. I made it very clear in writings around my work that I wanted to preserve the abstract quality of my chalice while only suggesting its meaning, however, I feel I may have done more than suggest and even suggested the wrong things. This is I suppose the risk of creating loud art/design/craft as you risk being inadvertently rejected by the audience you wish to communicate with. This is all inconsequential though as I cannot know what the audience thinks without first exhibiting the work, so for now the responses I might have received thrive only in my mind and without utility. I am hopeful that the abstract aspects of my chalices are preserved and the addition of the series adds to this subversion of my true feelings. The desire to obscure my true intentions and message is driven from the reality that I do not know my own thoughts on the matter, also I think it irresponsible to communicate a message I am uncertain of or that could be harmful to anyone who believes they have found it.

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Alternate Chalice Design #4

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Alternate Chalice Design #3

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Alternate Chalice Design #2

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Alternate Chalice Designs #1

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Selecting scent for the soap chalice #2

In my first post I outlined the objectives I wanted to fulfil in order to select an appropriate scent for the chalice, within this post I will discuss the investigation/ research I have conducted as well as my selected scent/s of choice. The research I conducted took part partially outside of the current lockdown through referring to earlier anecdotes and information I gather, however, the majority has been conducted since the current lockdown has been in place. The need for stating this originates in the fact that I have not been able to conduct the same quality of primary research as I would have hoped (due to not being able to leave home with the exception of exercise or essential shopping) this by nature has led me to refer to online investigation, which has been helpful and productive yet not as engaging or personalised (I would also use books/ library resources but again I have no access to libraries currently). Despite the unusual circumstances at present for everyone I believe that the research has led me to just as an appropriate conclusion and scent. 

When beginning my investigation into which smells evoked the correct response from myself and the user I began referring back to my time in the Hereford Cathedral and other churches/Cathedrals I have visited. With the aim of identifying what smell I most closely associate with these places. This of course is subject to inaccuracy as my memories can be inaccurate but also different parishes and denominations may use differing smells. However the excercies gave me an idea of kind of smells were present during my visits, once I had recalled some memories I came to realise that the Catholic churches were always the most strongly scented. This is no surprise with their practices often employing incense for ritualistic purposes. Upon coming to this conclusion I began researching Catholic use of incense which caused me to arrive at an object called a Thurible. A Thurible is an ornate incense burner often made of silver, brass and even gold that is used in varying denominations. (3rd image down) The purpose being another form worship which supposedly is used in, Catholic and Eastern Christian churches as a symbol of believers prayers rising like smoke to the heavens. As an object the thurible is similar in many ways to the chalice, possessing much of the same visual language and dimensions due to the thurible’s influence from the chalice. 

After understanding what the thurible is and what it does I wanted to identify what smells were often burnt within the thurible. Upon researching and recalling I found that benzoin frankincense and myrrh with the most common scents to be burnt within Catholic churches and cathedrals. This research resonates with my own anecdotal experience causing me to recall some of the visits I've had in the past. This research heavily contributed to the to the scents but I ended up selecting for the soap chalice. I could not be certain at this stage weather these smells were going to be appropriate, and because of the nature of lockdown I was unable to visit any shops and test them. Due to this I decided to extend my research referring back to some initial thoughts I had on on what scents I wanted to use.

When referring back to my original ideas I was confronted with primarily two different smells and materials. These being red wine and a more natural oily blood smell which is produced by the soap naturally. Both of these cents I have already tested and experienced through the soap. In the case of the red wine it was quite pleasant, however, ultimately if I was going to use red wine to scent the soap I would not be able to have naturally coloured soap. This being a problem as I've become fond of the soaps natural coloration. The second option I have already tested was the soaps natural smell, which was initially quite accurate for what I wanted to communicate. This smell was very accurate and not necessarily unpleasant despite this it was oily and almost metallic in scent. the decision not to go with this was partly due to it being difficult to cultivate, as the smell is naturally occurring it made it difficult to predict and in some cases the smell was not accurate to what I wanted. Furthermore, I wanted to explore various different smells I could create instead of using its natural smell. Had I used it's natural scent I would have felt I was not pushing my making ability nor my research.

Having done research into both these areas I decided to order some of the incense that I researched from the Catholic cathedrals and churches. however I realised the incense would not be viable as an ingredient in my soap, leading me to change the active ingredient to essential oils to make it compatible. Essential oils I ordered were from a reliable supplier that I had heard good reviews on. The oils I chose were frankincense and myrrh due to there capacity to evoke memories within me, as well as my understanding of there universal use in Catholic places of worship. Once the oils arrived I began testing them in my pre bought melt and pour soap as these were good preliminary test for how potent are smells is. I'm pleased to say that both of the oils we still detectable even in small quantities when mixed into the soap. the next stage will be using the oils within my own soap recipe and seeing how it reacts, I think that it will be successful, however it will take time as the soap can take weeks to set completely.

In conclusion after investigating and analysing my options through recollection and online research. I I have decided the most appropriate scent to belong within my soap Challis is frankincense and myrrh. I plan to further my conceptual motivations behind using this scent, however, given the extraordinary circumstances and short window of time, I made a decision that these oils are the most appropriate for creating an approachable scent that intrigues the audience, while telling them something about the work.

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Soap Casting In Moulds #1 Reviewing Soap as a Casting material

This post marks my first attempt at casting my own soap into full scale moulds. If these are successful then I would have created all the necessary components to create a soap chalice, allowing me to begin refining my process and consider pigments or extra components. However these components will not be suitable for removal until a few weeks (most likely) making it impossible to cast them until removed. To avoid not being able to generate anything I will be creating samples that use various amounts of essential oils for scent use. I have already included them into the above components but wish to better understand the quantity that is appropriate for future samples.

This first attempt at casting within moulds felt (from what I can gather preliminarily) positive and better than Jesmonite from a pouring perspective. The reasoning for this is that soap has a much longer setting time and so I didn't need to rush, making my prep less pressured and pouring more tentative. Furthermore soap is much less viscous and closer to a thin cream in thickness, opposed to Jesmonite which is often like pouring cement (it hardens rapidly making pouring into small areas challenging). Other than the benefits of its pourability the soap was also viscous enough not escape the silicone moulds, which occasionally have not been fully sealed.

In retrospect soap is a much better material for pouring into moulds than Jesmonite, however, it's lengthy setting times and lack of structural integrity and britilty makes it a less successful material beyond prototyping. There is potential for it to be able to support human weight but this would cause the overall mass of soap to far exceed its own capabilities and cause splitting and collapse. In the situation of large scale pieces Jesmonite will always be a stronger more environmentally resistant and versatile material. I am pleased with the soap and can see how it will be useful for future casting projects but it's higher cost and the reasons mentioned before make it less commercially viable.

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Selecting a Scent for my soap chalice

As part of designing and crafting my soap chalice it is important to research and select an appropriate scent for the soap. One of the most important components of commercial soap is the scent, everyone has particular soaps they like and often this is related to the sent they possess. When designing my soap chalice I want its scent to also communicate something to the audience, giving another sensory experience to the user. To ensure I choose an appropriate and considered scent I will be researching various churches, cathedrals (including the Hereford Cathedral) and Christian denominations with the aim of understanding what scents they use and why. Furthermore I will be assessing what smells align with the message I wish to communicate and how I want it to be received. 

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Current Chalice display Render -  Justifying visual and conceptual changes

Clear - Resin

Cream - Soap

Red - Jesmonite

This rendered version of my Chalice series attempts to demonstrate what the collection would look like if completed in the way I plan for it to be. With the use of fusion 360 I have recreated the colours and textures that the actual materials possess to the best of my ability. I have also implemented a less discussed material to the series, this being resin. I came to this decision during the rendering of my series, at which point I noticed a lack of contrast and composition. The density and opaque quality of the chalices caused the series to be darker than I hoped, as well as not making use of the interesting effect can have when interfacing with the chalice form. 

The desire to use transparent resin is motivated both for its striking visual complexity and its potential for my concept. As I have progressed in this module and practice I have confronted many aspects about myself and practice in the pursuit of trying to understanding myself and what that means for my work. In this pursuit I have had to acknowledge many uncomfortable things about myself like the limitations I have as a maker, accepting my current limited ability so that I may focus on what I can achieve. One of the aspects I have acknowledged during this module was that I have potentially unjustified feelings around religion and Christianity, which is possibly the root of my motivation to produce work about it and with it. Realising this was uncomfortable but important and necessary if I wish to continue producing work about Christianity and religion. The acknowledgement altered aspects of the way I presented my work, moving from a single chalice to a series that better conveyed my feelings and thoughts on Eucharist, cleansing and ritualism within the church. I see the transition from one chalice to a variety as a visualisation of movement from one narrowminded approach to a more varied and open one, allowing for multiple thoughts and feelings. Bringing this back again to the use of resin, I understand that this is an internal dialogue and such it is in flux, the use of resin is another manifestation of conveying the transparency or acceptance of my own unwarranted feelings. However, this is not enough to conceptually justify using resin, as in this context the audience has no frame of reference for it or what it means, to counter this I need to deepen the meaning in using a transparent chalice.

As part of further justifying the use of resin as one of my chalices, I want to focus upon the viewers experience and what they might extract from the resin chalice within the series context. I am aware that I cannot predict or assume anything about what the user might think of a work they have never seen before, however, it is still relevant to assess what I am projecting to the audience. I want the motivations for a resin chalice to extend beyond my own internal dialogue, having more purpose and belonging. However, I think that there is still a basis for it being justified by the fact that it is visually interesting, there is definitely a need and desire for there to be conceptual relevance but there is also an equal need for visual excitement. When justifying the resin chalice I also recognise that a primary motivation for its belonging is the interesting way light interacts with it and that is enough. It is not its only reason but that is not to say there needs to  be more. The true intentions for why I chose a resin/clear chalice would not ever be known to a viewer this doesn't, however, mean that I can neglect to give a reason despite it being tempting. 

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Variation On Display Render

Clear - Resin

Cream - Soap

Red - Jesmonite

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Rendering Concepts For Chalice Series

White - Jesmonite

Red - Jesmonite

Cream - Soap

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Reassessment During Lockdown

In light of a second national lockdown I have to reassess my work, project and what is achievable for me during this course and beyond. To begin I will address what I have left to achieve and what the logistics of completing them are, deciding whether the lockdown will impact it. Then I will approach understanding how this might affect my work as a whole and the reality of my practice in this new world we are all inhabiting. 

The remainder of this confirmation of practice module is fortunately much less demanding in terms of workshop needs for me. I have been able to produce all of my silicone moulds and most of my jesmonite components as well, there is certainly more to be done and improved in both areas but I do not have that luxury and the work so far is sufficient. I also still have the resources to make more soap if I decided it is still safe to move forward with it, which is currently uncertain. I am hopeful for this module and my outcomes thanks to having the preparations completed.

The next stage for my practice is the resolution of practice which follows this module. I am unsure of what is instore for this final module given the rapidly developing situation but I hope that I am able to get into the workshops again the complete my degree properly. If this is not possible I will be forced to theorise other more research based methods of resolving my practice. The knock on effect of this outcome might affect aspects like new designers and my place at the completion of the degree, this is due to possibly having no opportunities for work placement or being able to identify a suitable stepping of point from the degree. I plan for this not to be the case and will do everything i can to secure and ensure that this degree and beyond will be beneficial for me as a maker.