State of flux

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] This thesis is a formal discussion of the conceptual elements within the body of work presented in my MFA Thesis Exhibition: State of Flux. The works are based on the concept of the ideal grid; however, the grid I create deviates from that ideal. Reliability of strength and structure are elements of a perfect grid. I deny the security of the ideal grid through my construction process, material, and through the transformation in the kiln. The grids I present are interpretations of tension and manipulation within human interactions in our social structure. My grids have succumbed to external forces and have transformed into something that is only reminiscent of their former self. Presented in the thesis are varying stages of this transformation. All aspects of the work teeter between stability and instability. Through the clay's inherent strength and malleability, I am representing the fragility and perseverance of humanity within the grid.