Priska Falin

Doctor of Arts, Postdoctoral Researcher

In my BA and MA studies my main subject was ceramics. I did an exchange period in China, Jingdezhen, concentrating on the Chinese traditional decoration techniques. After graduating in 2009 I worked as an independent artist and designer doing teaching, interior decoration, exhibitions and subcontracting and freelance work for other companies. In my doctoral studies I have focused on ceramic materials from the perspective of aesthetics. The research is guided by my own artistic practice where I concentrate on the making and the perception of the material through traditional and new technologies.

Doctoral Research
Ceramic practice and the influence of the aesthetics in the creative process

Ceramics as a material has wide range of applications from the contemporary arts to nuclear science – not forgetting the fundamental role ceramics has in our everyday life for instance in the kitchen and bathroom. The material has both aesthetic and functional properties, which are perceived differently in diverse contexts. The research starts from the assumption that the perception of ceramic materials varies depending on the level of involvement in the making processes. The ceramic artist’s perception of the material is based on the tactile interaction and the processes of making, whereas the “non-maker’s” perception derives from the everyday use. In this research the ceramic material is studied with two empirical cases: from the makers and the non-makers point of view. The makers perspective is illustrated by data from the researcher’s own art practice. This explorative research is guided by the aesthetic perspective. The theoretical frame is drawn from the concepts of aesthetic experience and aesthetic engagement. The subject is studied by collecting data from the experiences of the maker through traditional and new technologies and the non-makers experiences of everyday- use and art exhibitions.