Red Lodge Clay Center – Short-Term Resident 2016
Kristin Murray is an emerging ceramic artist from Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. She began her academic journey studying anthropology at Brandon University and later moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, to attend the School of Art at the University of Manitoba. While there she was first exposed to the practice of atmospheric firing from instructors Robin Dupont, Steve Grimmer, and Alan Lacovetsky. Their passion and ceaseless exploration sparked a love for functional pottery and the process of wood and soda firing which propelled Kristin to achieve her BFA Honours degree with a focus in ceramics in 2015. She has participated in residencies at the Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts and, most recently, completed a Kiln Raising residency with Robin Dupont and Dan Murphy at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. With her time at Red Lodge Clay Centre on the horizon, she is exited to continue her artistic journey thru clay and flame.
My work is driven by the desire to understand and manipulate the role of utilitarian objects in the shaping of social interactions. Utility is the origin of all art forms, as evidenced by extensive archaeological research, and has thus become an important factor in the development of contemporary society and the common place rituals of daily life. My goal is to encourage the user to consider these objects of utility and connect them to a greater, shared experience on a metonymic level. This application of physical contact to inform intellectual interpretation, I feel, is featured prominently in the world of contemporary art.
My exploration of the link between object and viewer manifests itself in my most recent work as a subversion of a pots’ intended use. Thru shape and form in space the silhouettes of stacked vessels opens up a dialogue to discuss the purpose of an object in relation to its aesthetic and formal qualities.