The clay vessel

• Main Author: Ang, Jo Wen Wen
• Other Authors: Peter Chen Chia Mien
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: DRNTU::Visual arts and music::Design::Product
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/77456
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

My project centres around the symbolic significance of the vessel as a container of life, and of death, and the medium of clay as a means to achieve said form of vessel. It aims to remind us of the transient nature of existence on the earthly plane, and the implications it has regarding how we go about our lives with not just the knowledge that we will one day die, but the acceptance that we will, in the hope that we do not fear death but instead celebrate life. The clay vessel, in functional or sculptural form, acts as a posthumous representation of the body and spirit of a person, while the medium of clay represents the earth we return to upon death of the physical vessel. It is also an endeavour to explore and be immersed within the craft of pottery, a craft previously never engaged in, due to personal interest and as a challenge to oneself to become proficient as a craftsman in the medium of clay. This series of works aims to rekindle the discussion on the topic of death, taking into account our local context of Singapore and its cultural sensibilities and physical constraints. Looking to themes derived from religion, mythology and philosophy, I reiterate that this project aims to remind us not to fear the notion of the death of the physical vessel, but instead to celebrate and commemorate the life lived within it.