The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 53 No 3 November 2014

Pocket PhD
able to feel the exact proportions and weight. It
was then that the sensation of touch and sight
became instinctive, and the understanding of
knowing became apparent.
As I began to learn this skill, I became aware
that there is a knowing or understanding that is
learnt by doing and making, and that language
fails to articulate the same level of response.This
understanding is developed through the senses,
in particular the sense of touch, allowing touch
to guide more readily than sight.
Alana M cVeigh, Medicine Ha t, 2012
Plainsman's porcelain; photo: artist
forms. I became aware of how the sensitivity
and delicacy of touch (when handling the clay)
began to instinctively inform me when the walls
of each form were at their peak. At this stage
they were fine enough to achieve my aim to
allow light to penetrate the form, making it
translucent. I also began to understand that
touch also enabled me to sense the exact
amount of clay to leave when forming the base
so it was slightly weighted without being visually
evident, a necessary consideration to give each
piece stability and balance. The constant sensory
information became heightened when the
streams of connections were flowing, ie. touch,
sight and mental state were connected so I was
The premise for my PhD examines how this
specific hybrid of knowledge (sensory, implicit
and tacit knowing gained through practical
experience), has evolved and influenced
Australian contemporary ceramic studio
practice. Further outcomes of the research
offer an awareness of how Australian artists
have responded and reacted to this knowledge
through the emergence of a conscious art form
that challenges and blurs the historical division
between art and craft.
E: alanamcveigh@live.com.au
Alana is represented by Emerge Art Space
wwvv.emerge-art.com.au
References:
Dewey, John. 1939. Intelligence In The
Modern World: John Dewey's Philosophy.
New York: Random House, Inc.
Stewart, Susan. 2005. Empire of The Senses:
The Sensual Culture Reader.
Edited by David Howes. New York: Berg.
THE JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIAN CERAMICS NOVEMBER 2014 71