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Abacus
Title: Abacus - Mind Hand Tool
Medium: ceramic (porcelain), wood (ash with oak inlay), copper with patina, and chalkboard.
Size: 47.5x75x10”
Location: College of Lake County-Grayslake, Illinois, Technology (T) Building Between the 1st and 2nd floor.
Abacus Artist Statement_____________
An early memory and inspiration for this piece came from my Korean mother using a Japanese-style abacus called a soroban. I remember the distinct sound of the clicking beads as she balanced her checkbook. As a child, her abacus represented a fascinating toy rattle, which could also be turned upside down and rolled across the room like a toy car. I imagined the beads as little pots stacked up and stored away on a shelf like the pots in our china cabinet, an image ingrained in me to this day as a ceramic artist.
As humans, our natural tendency is to look for patterns in life and our environment. Mathematical sequences such as the Fibonacci numbers and the subsequent golden ratio and golden spiral are found in nature and used in the arts. The abacus is in the proportions of the golden ratio and the binary code is arranged in spirals similar to the seeds on a sunflower head. The binary code translates into three repeated four-letter words “mind, hand, and tool”- a natural pathway to creating and expressing ideas.
mind 01101101-01101001-01101110-01100100
hand 01101000-01100001-01101110-01100100
tool 01110100-01101111-01101111-01101100
The numbers etched on the top and bottom of the frame are the smallest and largest perfect square pandigital number not including zero. I found this pattern relevant because it is possible for a skilled abacus user to calculate square roots on an abacus.
With this abacus crafted from traditional materials, I hope to emphasize the intersection of knowledge, skill, technology, and education. To use an abacus, you must practice to develop mathematical skills. In this case the skills are being able to do arithmetic in your head and being able to transfer that information skillfully through your fingers to be stored as more calculations are made. Students of the abacus often are able to do their calculations at great speed without the abacus by making the finger motions and visualizing the results. To me, this abacus represents the idea that skill is knowledge that resides in your mind and not in your hands.
Medium: ceramic (porcelain), wood (ash with oak inlay), copper with patina, and chalkboard.
Size: 47.5x75x10”
Location: College of Lake County-Grayslake, Illinois, Technology (T) Building Between the 1st and 2nd floor.
Abacus Artist Statement_____________
An early memory and inspiration for this piece came from my Korean mother using a Japanese-style abacus called a soroban. I remember the distinct sound of the clicking beads as she balanced her checkbook. As a child, her abacus represented a fascinating toy rattle, which could also be turned upside down and rolled across the room like a toy car. I imagined the beads as little pots stacked up and stored away on a shelf like the pots in our china cabinet, an image ingrained in me to this day as a ceramic artist.
As humans, our natural tendency is to look for patterns in life and our environment. Mathematical sequences such as the Fibonacci numbers and the subsequent golden ratio and golden spiral are found in nature and used in the arts. The abacus is in the proportions of the golden ratio and the binary code is arranged in spirals similar to the seeds on a sunflower head. The binary code translates into three repeated four-letter words “mind, hand, and tool”- a natural pathway to creating and expressing ideas.
mind 01101101-01101001-01101110-01100100
hand 01101000-01100001-01101110-01100100
tool 01110100-01101111-01101111-01101100
The numbers etched on the top and bottom of the frame are the smallest and largest perfect square pandigital number not including zero. I found this pattern relevant because it is possible for a skilled abacus user to calculate square roots on an abacus.
With this abacus crafted from traditional materials, I hope to emphasize the intersection of knowledge, skill, technology, and education. To use an abacus, you must practice to develop mathematical skills. In this case the skills are being able to do arithmetic in your head and being able to transfer that information skillfully through your fingers to be stored as more calculations are made. Students of the abacus often are able to do their calculations at great speed without the abacus by making the finger motions and visualizing the results. To me, this abacus represents the idea that skill is knowledge that resides in your mind and not in your hands.
Pattern & Form Slideshow
CM U Downdraft Kiln with Flue Channel
Downdraft kiln I built in the summer of 2004.
CLC Train Kiln
After a four year pursuit in seeking approval and funding for the CLC Kiln shed, the CLC Train Kiln was built in two weekends in May 2009 by invited kiln builder, Ted Neal. The train kiln design originated with John Neely at Utah State. The "train kiln" has a high firebox at opposite end of the chimney giving it the appearance similar to a steam engine. Ted Neal, Ball State Ceramics Faculty and USU grad, altered the design and improved upon the idea. A special thanks to Ben Bates as well for organizing and assisting in the build.