Update on Zoe Preece's 'Exploration of Materiality'
Residency

Diweddariad am Gyfnod Preswyl Artist Zoe Preece

Zoe Preece is one of our Exploration of Materiality residency artists. She usually works with ceramic material to explore ideas around the notion of being in-between and the tipping point between states. Zoe creates forms in porcelain which she disrupts during the firing process through the addition of flux. The flux heats the object at a differing temperature to the rest of the object and thus the object is no longer regular in shape but irregular and give the impression of fluidity. The process creates a happenstance and the resultant works create the impression of a frozen moment in time.

Zoe was at a point in her practice where she was keen to find new ways of working. She was eager to learn and explore digital making and see how it could be integrated with her usual hand making processes. As Zoe has a close affinity to ceramic material, we were curious how her work would translate to the substrates used in 3D printing.

Mae Zoe Preece yn un o’n hartistiaid preswyl ‘Archwilio Cyfansoddiad Deunyddiau’. Fel arfer bydd yn gweithio gyda deunydd cerameg er mwyn archwilio syniadau ynglŷn â bod ‘rhwng dau gyflwr’ a ‘phwynt newid allweddol cyflyrau’. Bydd Zoe yn creu ffurfiau mewn porslen ac yn tarfu arnynt yn ystod y broses danio drwy ychwanegu fflwcs. Mae’r fflwcs yn cynhesu rhai rhannau ar dymheredd gwahanol i weddill y gwrthrych ac wedyn nid yw’r gwrthrych mwyach yn rheolaidd o ran ei ffurf, yn hytrach mae’n afreolaidd ac yn rhoi’r argraff o hylifedd. Mae’r broses yn creu hapddigwyddiad ac mae’r gweithiau sy’n ganlyniad yn creu’r argraff o eiliad wedi ei dal mewn amser.

Roedd Zoe mewn man yn ei hymarfer lle’r oedd hi eisiau darganfod ffyrdd newydd o weithio. Roedd yn awyddus i ddysgu am ac archwilio creu digidol a gweld sut y gallai hynny gael ei integreiddio gyda’i phrosesau gwneud â llaw arferol. Gan fod Zoe yn hoff iawn o ddeunydd cerameg, roedd gennym ddiddordeb i weld sut y byddai ei gwaith yn trosglwyddo i’r is-haenau a ddefnyddir mewn argraffu 3D.

Zoe Preece learning how to use a Makerbot to try out works before printing on our higher fidelity 3D printers

During the initial stages of the residency, Zoe had a particular idea about how her work might manifest. When she started to 3D print her work her ideas started to shift.

Yn ystod camau cyntaf ei chyfnod preswyl roedd gan Zoe syniad penodol ynglŷn â sut y gallai ei gwaith ddatblygu. Pan ddechreuodd argraffu ei gwaith yn 3D dechreuodd ei syniadau newid.

Some of Zoe Preece's material experiments and works

In common with Sean Vicary, fellow Exploration of Materiality resident, Zoe's work became heavily informed by using 3D scanning. During the process of creating low fidelity scans of spoons, Zoe picked up the background of where the spoons were resting. This integration of the object with its environment opened exciting possibilities for Zoe. The blur between object and background resonates with Zoe's works that seek to explore the notion of the in-between.

Fel gyda Sean Vicary, ei chyd artist preswyl ‘Archwilio Cyfansoddiad Deunyddiau’, llywiwyd gwaith Zoe yn gryf iawn drwy ddefnyddio sganio 3D. Yn ystod y broses o greu sganiau cywirdeb isel o lwyau, cododd Zoe y cefndir lle’r oedd y llwyau’n gorwedd. Agorodd yr integreiddiad hwn o’r gwrthrych gyda’i amgylchedd bosibiliadau cyffrous i Zoe. Mae’r aneglurder rhwng gwrthrych a chefndir yn cyd-fynd â gweithiau Zoe sy’n ceisio archwilio’r syniad o fod ‘rhwng dau gyflwr’.

Zoe Preece setting up the CNC mill machine

During her residency Zoe's attitude to changed to digital making processes. Previously she considered digital making as separate from physical making but now considers them merged and just another process.

Aside from 3D printing (additive manufacturing) we have subtractive manufacturing (CNC machines). Zoe has found a particular affinity with this process and created milled surfaces.

Zoe's final works have been 'still lifes'. She created these through replicating spoons with sharp high fidelity scans and high fidelity 3D prints. These have been placed upon surfaces developed via the low fidelity scans and CNC milling machine. The idea of blurring an object with its environment is something that Zoe hopes to explore in future works.

Yn ystod ei chyfnod preswyl newidiodd agwedd Zoe tuag at brosesau creu digidol. Cyn hyn roedd hi’n ystyried creu digidol yn ffurf ar wahân i’r creu ffisegol ond nawr mae’n gweld y gellir eu cyfuno a’i bod yn broses arall.

Ar wahân i argraffu 3D (cynhyrchu ychwanegol) mae gennym gynhyrchu tynnol (Peiriannau CNC). Creodd Zoe berthynas arbennig gyda’r broses hon a chreodd arwynebau wedi’u malu.

Mae gweithiau terfynol Zoe yn ‘fywyd llonydd’. Creodd y rhain drwy ddyblygu llwyau gyda sganiau cywirdeb uwch clir a phrintiau 3D cywirdeb uwch. Gosodwyd y rhain ar arwynebau a ddatblygwyd drwy'r sganiau cywirdeb is a’r peiriannau malu CNC. Mae’r syniad o gymylu gwrthrych gyda’i amgylchedd yn rhywbeth y mae Zoe’n gobeithio ei archwilio yn ei gweithiau yn y dyfodol.

Zoe also wants to develop a further her exploration of materials. Integral to Zoe's usual work is a connection with porcelain and bone china and the processes she uses when working with them. In the residency Zoe has started to work with wood and the resin substrate used in the Projet 3D printer.

We are really excited about the work Zoe produced in the her residency and look forward to seeing what she does next!

Mae Zoe hefyd eisiau datblygu ymhellach  ei harchwiliad o ddeunyddiau. Mae’r cysylltiad â phorslen a tsieni esgyrn a’r prosesau a ddefnyddir ganddi wrth weithio gyda hwy yn rhan annatod o waith arferol Zoe. Yn y cyfnod preswyl mae Zoe wedi dechrau gweithio gyda phren a’r is-haenau resin a ddefnyddir yn yr argraffydd Project 3D

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The residencies were offered through Design Wales Forum, and funded by the Arts Council Wales through the lottery fund, and the National Centre for Product Design and Research.

Caiff y cyfnodau preswyl eu cynnig gan Fforwm Dylunio Cymru ac fe’u hariennir gan Gyngor Celfyddydau Cymru drwy’r gronfa Loteri a’r Ganolfan Genedlaethol Dylunio Cynnyrch ac Ymchwil.