The firing of clay is one of the most significant developments in the history of humankind. It is a technological advance, now taken so much for granted, that many have forgotten the ancient power that fire and change exercised over the lives of our ancestors and their imaginations. This book is an attempt to redress that balance by investigating the place of firing in a contemporary context of myth, poetics, philosophy and technology.
Firing is a creative process, whose aesthetic importance develops out of technique. Through an understanding of the chemistry of firing and of the methodologies used to fire ceramics, a context is provided for interpreting the practical and philosophical rationales utilised by contemporary potters and artists.
This beautifully illustrated book also creates a narrative through its imagery. Many of the images have been specially commissioned to both inspire and inform. It should prove invaluable to professional potters as well as to students of ceramics; additionally it will also be of great interest to collectors, and all with an interest in the understanding of contemporary ceramics.
