Ceramist Mårten Medbo speaks through clay

If you look at language as a means of conveying information, then the idea of clay-based linguistics is just as obvious as body language, doublespeak or baby talk. That is the assertion of Mårten Medbo in his thesis Lerbaserad erfarenhet och språklighet (Clay-based Experience and Language-Ness). The thesis is the first in Sweden on the subject of crafts.

In his role as a ceramist, Medbo has always seen himself as a practitioner of language. Sometimes more consciously, sometimes less so, but for him clay is always a way to communicate. He believes that art is a linguistic practice and that craftsmanship makes art accessible.
“To understand nuances and to delve deep, linguistic training is central to all languages. Anyone who is good at ceramic handicrafts and clay as a material has a large measure of fluency in the language of clay.”

Mårten Medbo is critical of the instrumental view of arts and crafts that has become accepted during recent decades. In general discussions as well as at art academies, arts and crafts have been regarded primarily as a means of achieving something else — as a way to question norms and structures, for example. One of the reasons he wanted to study for a doctorate was to have an opportunity to turn the tables on the usual approach and instead allow the artistic practice to theorize about the theory practice.
“As I write in the foreword, a seed was planted when a colleague and I jokingly posed the question of why it’s easier to imagine a text-based ceramicist than a clay-based political scientist. That put the finger on the different status and quality of the linguistic material.”

Medbo argues that today’s system of higher education promotes a certain kind of handicrafts — the conceptual. Arts and crafts that aim at participating in public discussion of social matters get more space in the newspapers.
“There is an academisation process under way. This applies not only to ceramics and clay but also to all handicraft-based linguistics within academia. The hierarchical system of language within the arts puts text first, then photos and clay, for example.”

In response, the last ‘word’ in the thesis is an exhibition, Slutkommentar (End note), in which Medbo displays sculptures and objects made of clay along with videos about how craftsmanship comes about. It can be regarded as a clay-based reflection on the text-based first portion of the thesis.

Artistic research has existed in Sweden for about 20 years, but arts and crafts first became a research subject in its own right in 2010. Conducting research was not self-evident for Mårten Medbo. He dropped out of upper-secondary school at the age of 17 to work as an apprentice at a pottery works. The road to defending his thesis has been a long one, to say the least.
“Now that I’m almost at the goal, the idea makes me dizzy.”

After spending four years focusing on writing, Medbo longs for his clay workshop. December 14 is the big day. That’s when he presents his thesis at HDK — the Academy of Design and Crafts at the University of Gothenburg.

Title of thesis: Lerbaserad erfarenhet och språklighet (Clay-based Experience and Language-Ness)
Opponent: Jonna Bornemark, senior lecturer, Södertörn University
Examination board: Professor Ingela Josefson (Stockholm University of the Arts), Associate Professor Kjell Rylander (Oslo National Academy of the Arts), Dr. Gunnar Almevik (University of Gothenburg).
Language: Swedish, with English summary. The thesis defence is in Swedish.

Time for public defence: 14 December 2016, at 1 PM
Place of public defence: Konstbiblioteket (Art Library), HDK, Kristinelundsgatan 6-8, Gothenburg

Review copies: If you would like a copy of the thesis sent to you, please contact: Doctoral Programme Officer Emma Grundström, emma.grundstrom@gu.se, +46 31-786 4883, +46 701-463 996. The thesis and video documentation of the dissertation’s final comments can be downloaded here.

For more information about the dissertation, please contact: Mårten Medbo, doctoral student, marten.medbo@hdk.gu.se
For more information about HDK and press participation during the public defence, contact: Helena Bäckhed, communications officer, helena.backhed@hdk.gu.se, +46 31-786 48 83, +46 766-184 883

Mårten on the photos:
All of the works in photos (Homo Capax, Enlightenment and Thinking through Craft) are included as part of the dissertation. While the text portion of the dissertation can be regarded as a reflection on my clay-based experience, the clay-based works can be said to be a reflection on my text-based academic experience. To fully understand this connection, both the dissertation’s text portion and the clay portion must be interpreted in relation to each other. 

Of the works included in the clay-based end note section, my reflection on the academic experience is clearly displayed in the works Enlightenment and Thinking through Clay, where the titles also point out this type of orientation. The text portion's investigation led to philosophical questions about how the approach to knowledge affects perception of reality and world view, which is reflected in these works. Homo Capax is associated with the text somewhat differently because it more explicitly addresses the perspective presented in the text portion. Again, questions about the meaning and value of knowledge are central, but here they are presented in a more palpable and direct way. Questions about the production and consumption of goods, meaning and knowledge are the central issue here.

Photographers:
Peter Hoelstad took the ‘Portrait’ photo.
Johan F. Karlsson took the ‘Enlightenment’ photo.
The other photos were taken by Mårten Medbo.

Helena Bäckhed
Communications Officer
e-mail: helena.backhed@hdk.gu.se
phone: +46 31-786 48 83, +46 766-184 883 

University of Gothenburg is one of the major universities in Europe, with about 37 000 students and a staff of 6 000. Its eight faculties offer training in the Creative Arts, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Humanities, Education, Information Technology, Business, Economics and Law, and Health Sciences. The University’s unique breadth in education and research provides an interdisciplinary environment conducive to collaboration with private enterprise and public institutions. The quality of the University has earned recognition in the form of numerous awards, including a recent Nobel Prize, and a steady stream of applicants at all levels.

Tags: