This week is the midterm so I thought the best way of coming up with a concept was to form research questions and see what would speak to me the most.

"How can I research and demonstrate storytelling through materials and surfaces, I have discovered in the Maritime district. Whilst also bridging the gap between art and design?"

Clay bridges the gap between art and utility.
Clay is already a material that can be used very artistically but also serves in the end as a sort of vessel (a vessel also has ties to maritime themes as that is also a word for a boat).

I discovered this mainly through reading an article about Karl Monies work.

He states:

"When I started studying fine art, I had this definite idea that art was at one end of the
spectrum and design at the other. I don't see it like that anymore. Of course, most artworks aren't possible to "activate" as design, and most designs aren't artworks, but that does not exclude them from one another."

"Why can't art be made with a function, or why can't a utilitarian object be imbued
with a philosophical, conceptual or existential meaning, related or unrelated to its
functional purpose?"

"Stoneware is such a democratic medium, which is what spoke to me the most. It isn't an expensive material, its purpose is functional first and foremost and it is universal to many indigenous cultures."

"How can I research and demonstrate the significance of surfaces, through the use of materials. Whilst also bridging the gap between art and design?"

With my vase you can explore the various materials and surfaces that I came across in my area of the maritime district.
It gives an impression of that area and how it felt for me at the time with these harsh textures and the harsh look that it also gives off.