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Cristin Zimmer - Graduate Student in Ceramics
The world has always made sense to me when I am doing, creating and feeling – the most sense through the simple feel of clay in my hands. My passion and involvement with clay has been constant throughout my life.
Besides clay, my other passion lies in the natural world and staying active outdoors. This broader interest in how humans interact with and relate to their environment and my own specific interest in translating that relationship into ceramic work found traction at Pitzer College, where I double majored in Studio Art and Environmental Studies.
The two images below are from a series focusing on the human response to its own environmental degradation. I use the traditional vessel and the human form as vehicles on which to etch these images. Becoming tattoo-like on the woman, the images of the baggage of modern society and its relationship to humans and the environment are marked upon all of us.
The next three images are from my latest body of work, which has a more existential drive. Using androgynous human forms, I want to comment on mankind’s’ emotional and spiritual struggle for meaning. The headless torsos are hollow, weary in appearance, and broken in pieces to juxtapose the embellished, full-formed base. These are empty human forms, lacking an authentic soul. Certain pieces are included that allude to the attempt to “fill” our souls, but come up short, too superficial to create a meaningful experience. Also the scapular nature of these figures provides the impression of malnourishment, physically, but also morally, intellectually and spiritually.
