We will make things in different ways - quick direct actions, using our hands, bodies and tools  - no planning - let the clay direct you - spend time experiencing the material - feel - manipulate - leave to chance - such as to drop, crack, throw.... Slowing down and working in silence.

Experiencing the material qualities of clay.

• Using clay from a position of  ‘not knowing’.
• to challenge the material and its behaviour, and our own behaviour.
• Spend time exploring the clay – touch, smell, sight.
• Explore its breaking points – to crack, to split, to collapse. Push to limits.
• What is the tipping point when clay collapses/breaks. E.g. How tall, narrow, long can it go before collapsing.
• How do our actions change the material – to do something fast or slowly.
• What can different processes achieve in their unique way. E.g. strength of a slab, coil, extruded coil.
• To make without a final goal, to allow the material to generate ideas. Respond to material – rather than imposing ideas on it.

Tasks

1. Take a handful/ball of clay and squeeze into a long shape – see how long you can make it without allowing the clay to touch/be supported by anything. Work SLOWLY.

2. Make a column – to see how high you can go. Fix base to floor or table and build up.

3. Roll out a slab of clay, then only working from underneath/behind create a form. Stroking/pushing up from underneath (can’t see your hands).

4. Take a lump of clay and using smaller bits to build up - cover a part of your body with clay and then remove/pull body out/away from clay - see what occurs.

5. Take a small ball of clay then just by pinching make a shape

6. Take a plaster mould to push clay into by rolling out coils to feed into the mould. Remove from mould then tear apart.

7. Make a work/form/shape that includes all of the following:

• Dropping
• Tearing
• Pushing
• Pulling
• Pinching
• Pressing

At the end - Join all parts of everyone’s work together - cut into, squash, reform etc – EXPLORE intuitively…