More recently, I have been dedicated to expanding my ceramic practice past the simple vessel or closed form. I want to challenge clay to be more than simply functional; I want to create works that are purely aesthetic, make activist statements, or incorporate various other mediums.
In this installation (Spring, 2019), I created organic, nature-inspired forms, and then proceeded to hang them on the wall like paintings. I challenged my ceramic art to occupy a space normally only relegated to visual art such as paintings or drawings: wall space.
In this installation (Fall, 2019), I set up an immersive, dynamic installation meant to protest the environmental pollution of the coral reefs that has resulted in widespread coral bleaching. Not only did I create coral-reef-inspired ceramic vessels, I surrounded them by tape, string, non-functional vessels, and bone-like molds from clay and plaster. Lastly, the entire back wall of the installation was made with carefully crumpled ribbons of tape.
Ieodo Sana is a lyric often found in the work songs of the Haenyo women; Korean female divers whose livelihood consists of harvesting a variety of sea life from the ocean of Jeju Island - Jejudo. Haenyo can free dive 30+ feet below the surface, holding their breath for minutes on end with only the strength of their lungs and their iron determination. When they surface, they utilize an ancient breathing technique — sumbisori — sing-song whistles to regulate their breathing and communicate with one another. Haenyo scour the sea floors for octopus, abalone, conch, sea urchins, clams, and edible seaweed. Diving is not simply a source of income, it is a way of life — and not an easy one. The Haenyo sing songs of hardship, sadness, tiredness, and hope. Their songs are sometimes called Ieodo Sana because that phrase is often present, but nobody is certain what it means. Some say the words mean nothing at all - they are simply words of labor and tune. Others, however, believe Ieodo Sana refers to a mythical island — a fantasy haven where problems cease to exist — a heavenly afterlife.
The history of the Haenyo divers dates back to the 17th century. Jejudo is an island located in the Korea Strait of South Korea, and due to its abundance of volcanic soil, farming was unsustainable. Thus, the Haenyo were born. Diving quickly became a female dominated industry — perhaps originating from the death of many men dying at war or in fishing accidents, or the physiological advantage women have over men at sea; subcutaneous fat and higher shivering threshold making them more suitable for the cold waters. Because Haenyo women earned the majority of the income, Jeju island became a partially matriarchal society where women were the breadwinners and men stayed home to look after the children. But the Haenyo are dying. The sea-diving industry has fallen victim to industrialization, and most Haenyo are in their 80’s, with no more young women willing to take on such a difficult, bone-breaking trade.
To me, there is a deep connection between Haenyo and ceramics. Professions fueled by the abundance of a sea floor. Often driven by women - a quiet and invisible female touch. The labors of these jobs are harsh and backbreaking — pressure of 30 feet of freezing ocean water, pressure of heavy pounds of clay and 2000 degree kilns. But while these labors require strength and determination, they are also incredibly delicate — to reach for a conch in a hidden crevice, to carve a fragile sculptural form. It is one’s way, one’s body. Each sea creature found and harvested, each ceramic object brought into being - marked by the maker. Signed by unique touch, ritual, and creativity. There are no manuals for how to dive, for how to coax a lump of clay into a vase shape. It is watching, learning, doing, undoing. These are iron willed professions — tenaciously evading the encroachment of industrialization. Held on with unrelenting grip by the few, the stubborn, the traditionalists. It is artful innovation and soul. It is tenacity, determination, and authenticity. It is struggle, frustration, and perseverance. It is Ieodo Sana.
