Architecture Faculty and Students Showcased in National Ceramics Conference
An exploration of ceramics and mold-making as architectural form by architecture student Taras Kes. The student work, along with that of architecture faculty members Stephanie Davidson and Georg Rafailidis, will be featured at the National Council on Education in Ceramic Arts conference this spring.
By Catherine Maier
Published April 1, 2014 This content is archived.
Architecture faculty members Stephanie Davidson and Georg Rafailidis, along with their students, will present work at the National Council on Education in Ceramic Arts’ 48th annual conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this spring.
The exhibition, "f(c)," features a body of ceramic forms produced by Davidson, clinical assistant professor or architecture, and Rafailidis, assistant professor of architecture. The work was completed through their residency at the European Ceramic Workcentre (sundaymorning@ekwc) located in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. sundaymorning@ekwc is an internationally renowned ceramic center where creative professionals can explore the artistic possibilities of ceramics.
Davidson's and Rafailidis' research was conducted through Touchy-Feely, a specialized branch of their architecture practice, DAVIDSON RAFAILIDIS. Through close relationships with material manufacturers and production facilities in Europe and America, the pair hopes to develop architectural applications for new projects and material innovations that provoke curiosity in, and more physical interaction with, the built environment.
An exploration of ceramics and mold-making as architectural form by architecture student Taras Kes
The exhibit also features "Family of Forms," a new body of student work. Family of Forms investigates the roles mold-making and ceramics can play in form-finding in architecture. Crafted through meticulous mold-masking and slip-casting, the work took place in the basement of Crosby Hall as part of an independent study led by Davidson.
The pieces were cast in a newly acquired Kiltronics kiln as part of a heavily process-based body of work. The students started work in December and shipped their pieces off to Wisconsin March 7.
"This was a fast and furious time frame, and the students worked really hard," said Davidson of the students' exploration of ceramic forms. "This is a very process-based body of work that we're excited to pursue - this is just the beginning."
Students featured in the exhibition are Dean Ciofani, Taras Kes, Andrew Koudlai, Natalie Lis and Matthew Meyers.
The exhibit runs from March 19 to April 12 in the Portrait Society Gallery in Milwaukee, WI.