Pottery In Australia Vol 36 No 2 Winter 1997

Signs
Shan Hatwell and a group of profoundly deaf students produce their own powerful artworks with clay.
JENNIFER SEXTON reports.
Even to my untrained eyes, it was clear right from the
start, this is a special project.
I found a group of eight men and women happily
working away. On the table, creations, free standing
ceramic hands in 'sign' the language of people who are
deaf, plus a number of planers with imprints of hands
again in 'sign'.
This class has been set up exclusively for students who
are deaf. Here, under the close eye of Shan Harwell, and
the assistance of interpreter Lee Maddison, the students
are learning basic clay and firing skills - the results to be
presented to the public in an exhibition.
What 's different about this though , is tha t these
students are communicating their culture, their issues, and
their language to the world through their work.
Karen Rhodes was born profoundly deaf. Through the
inrerpreter, she tells me she's done pmtery hefore, but
nothing as empowering or eXCiting as this 'it makes me
feel quite proud depicting our language in clay, showing
people some of our signs'.
The 'hand' to hearing people is in most cases taken for
gra nted, it's just another useful appendage. But to these
students who are deaf, the hand is 'everything', without it
communication is near impossible and that message is
clear when you see their work - some of the hands are
missing parts of fingers and that too is highly symbolic.
Lee Maddison says, 'six years ago, people who were deaf
were to mainstream society 'deaf and dumb' - valueless.
They could only get jobs in factories and injuries to hands
from using dangerous machinery was commonplace.
'L'
'----=_--' i
Thank heavens things have changed. But it makes the
hands even more meaningful, as a symbol ofl
discrimination in years gone by.
Here the students make plaster moulds from thei r own
hands, the moulds are then used to make clay
impressions from terracotta and white earthenware clay,
fingers are carefully moved into position form ing the
appropriate sign. 1hen the hands are fired in a sawdust I
kiln for three days.
Plancrs are also made from terracotta clay, ash glazed I
and then fired in a gas kiln. The results are quite
fascinating,
Pam Taber, another student who is deaf, believes there
is still a need for community education about people who
are deaf. 'It's ou r language, it shows people how we
communicate, there's a sign saying culture and another
saying language, and that's what we're about - we have
our own culture and our own sign language, We're proud
to be deaf and its great to show people Our language for
the first time, creatively'.
Shan Harwell, who pioneered this project at Wagga
TAPE, together with Lee Maddison, nurtured the student's
work and is excited at how it is evolving. She believes it's
the stan of something important for the students. I agree,
the finished 'hands', the images they form , are highly
evocative; they're mysteriOUS, sensitive, vulnerable, and
yet strong like the people they represent. G!O
Jennifer Sexton
Producer/Presenler, 'Art Warp', ABC Radio Ri"erina
66 POTIERY IN AUSTRAlIA + ISSUE l6f1. WlNTER 1997