A performance in contemporary ceramic art: Kastamonu Clock Tower Kiln Sculpture example

The firing phase of ceramics is undoubtedly the most exciting phase for the producer/artist of the work. After a very laborious process, any negativity during the firing process may cause all the work to be wasted. When the history of ceramics is examined, it is seen that craftsmen and artists who have been interested in ceramics for centuries have applied different methods to make their products durable and permanent. The mentioned firing methods have developed and increased in number from ancient times to the present day. Baking with traditional methods, electric ovens and alternative baking methods with the development of technology bear witness to this process. Alternative ovens, one of the mentioned baking methods, have also been referred to as performance art in recent years. Oven sculptures, which are an alternative type of kiln that were pioneered by some artists in the 1990s and are now experienced as performance art in our country, attract a lot of attention. Under the leadership of Nina Hole, artists such as Frederic Olsen, Tom Barnett, Ali Temel Köseler, Sergei Isupov and Onur Fındık are among the artists who perform the relevant performance art. These kiln sculptures, which are made outdoors, exemplify collective work, are large, showy and involve the viewer in the process, are ceramic sculptures that are fired where they are built, also called fire sculptures, and have the feature of being their own kiln. In this study, a kiln sculpture in the form of Kastamonu Clock Tower, one of the cultural symbols of Kastamonu province, was installed in the open area in front of Kastamonu University Faculty of Fine Arts and Design. The main purpose of the study is to examine the special production phase of kiln sculptures, which is an important application of today's popular ceramic culture, and the works of artists who produce works on the relevant subject, while touching on alternative ceramic firing methods. On the other hand, it is an effort to transform the Kastamonu Clock Tower, one of the important symbols of Kastamonu city culture, into a kiln sculpture and make it immortal by incorporating it into the landscape of the campus.