Ceramic Interactions

Judyth Van Amringe

Crosses, Bones, Cherry Trees

Medium & Materials:
Porcelain, cherry trees

Date:
2009-2010

Description:
"My work is often about the withering away of the flesh and the ghostly remains of the spirit." Crosses, Bones, Cherry Trees is Van Amringe's testament to ESP, in her words "this monument to lost souls - both the incarcerated and those who designed their fate by creating this mystifying husk of stone and iron." Her installation is composed of thousands of bones, crosses and Stars of David. The bones represent the thousands of inmates who passed through the penitentiary while the crosses and Stars of David represent the inmate's spiritual fate and that of their guards and guardians. The site of Eastern Slate Penitentiary was originally a cherry orchard. The cherry trees are planted as a testament to the promising future that can arise from a dark past. Note: Many of the bones, crosses and stars, were by participants, children and adults, in a number of free public workshops, sponsored by line Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA. Quotes from Judyth Van Amringe, Project Statement, February 2010

Ryan Kelly

Crusoe's Cave

Date:
2009-2010

Description:
Crusoe's Cave is modeled after Victorian toy Paper Theaters, peep shows and simple theatrical props; Kelly transforms a cell into an illusion or theatrical space of a cave. Realism was not his intent. Through his chosen lowtech approach, Kelly reinforces the idea of makeshift labor and the ingenuity of both Crusoe and ESP inmates, forced to make due with what was available. Kelly hand made all of the props used within the installation space. At times throughout the run of the installation, Crusoe's Cave became a Tableaux Vivant, a living picture, with Kelly dressing in Crusoe's signature costume and parasol. This costume was made by Kelly with latch hooked hair extensions representing the original goatskin used. In Kelly's words, "In contemplating the early Quaker principle of solitary confinement as a reformative treatment for inmates at Eastern State, I was drawn back to a theme I have used before in my work: Robinson Crusoe. I am distantly related to Alexander Selkirk, the real life inspiration for Daniel Defoe's fictional character Crusoe. In both the reconstructed -historically accurate accounts, and Defoe's expanded fictionalization of my relative, he was a gruff, unruly near-pirate bent on finding riches and glory through dubious naval excursions. His abandonment (or shipwreck) on a small tropical island left him to his own devices, without the intervention or influence of society or comrades. "I am interested in the parallels between this story and the assumed story of inmates (perhaps early inmates) at the Eastern State Penitentiary. Forced solitude; the marking or passing of time; the creation of handicrafts out of necessity, boredom, amusement or some imagined or potential commerce. Facing the unknowing void of time ahead of him, Crusoe lost himself in disciplines he had no need of knowing in his prior life. These gave focus to his reflection and a sense of control over his circumstances. Though often fanciful and improbable (such as his production of fired pottery) their simple utility was trumped by the sense of purpose they give their creator. This is in large part where my interest lies: the metaphoric utility of the object. I leave it to Virginia Woolf's analysis in her 1932 essay Robinson Crusoe: Thus Defoe, by reiterating that nothing but a plain earthenware pot stands in the foreground, persuades us to see remote islands and the solitudes of the human soul. By believing fixedly in the solidity of the pot and its earthiness, he has subdued every other element to his design, he has roped the whole universe into harmony. And is there any reason, we ask as we shut the book, why the perspective that a plain earthenware pot exacts should not satisfy us as completely, once we grasp it, as man himself in all his sublimity standing against a background of broken mountains and tumbling oceans with stars flaming in the sky?" Ryan Kelly, Project Statement, February 2010

Judy Moonelis

Brain Cell

Medium & Materials:
Porcelain, wire, plastic, glass, mirrors, paint, found materials

Date:
2010

Description:
Charles Dickens, who visited Eastern State Penitentiary in 1842, perceived the invisible damage inflicted by the solitary confinement approach once practiced here. He described it as the "slow and daily tampering with the mysteries of the brain" This site installation contains speculative visual models of the minds of the inmates who once inhabited these cells. The neural effects of solitary confinement are considered in this work as are "mirror" or "empathy" neurons and abnormalities in the emotional brain system. The forms in this work are based on the brain's microstructures, electrochemical networks and blood vessels. Specific anatomical references include the aortic arch, vena cava, neuron, corona radiate and amygdale. Current scanning technologies are allowing researchers to investigate our plastic brain, its response to environment and under-functioning emotional/limbic systems (amygdale) all of which have significant societal implications. Judy Moonelis, Project Statement, February 2010

Judy Moonelis

Blood Cell

Medium & Materials:
Porcelain, wire, plastic, glass, paint

Date:
2010

Description:
Female inmates once lived and worked in Cell Block 2. The history of the women's Presence at Eastern State Penitentiary (1831-1923) was the inspiration for this site installation. the forms in this piece are based on the human circulatory system and its intricate capillary beds. In the body fine capillary networks act as a bridge, a place of exchange and are a vital link in the closed loop of the vascular system. The branched anatomical structures in the work visually reflect the botanical roots and moss that now invades these cells. Judy Moonelis, Project Statement, February 2010

Rocky Lewycky

The ESP Project

Medium & Materials:
Stoneware, gold leaf

Date:
2009-2010

Description:
Eastern State Penitentiary held prisoners for over 140 years. Many of those prisoners took something from others: possessions, money, sometimes even life itself. The ESP Project "reverses" this history and energy through the act of giving and release. The Project involves both an installation and performance. It is a unique opportunity to make work for a space that is so heavily breathing on its own. The history of Eastern State Penitentiary emanates possibilities for conceptual stimulation and its embryonic interior offers a heightened visceral experience that I intend to transmit through my performance and installation. When Social hierarchies surrender to a deconstructed commodity we capture a glimpse into a more utopian society. On April 3rd, 2010 nine hundred and eighty (980) urns will line Cell block ten at the Eastern State Penitentiary. All of the art pieces will be given away to the public on this day. In form, the urns echo the interior space of the prison cells. All the pieces have 23-karat gold leaf gilded on the backside as well as an individual numbering system on the front from 1 through 090, representing the number of individual cells in the penitentiary. Participants will be escorted through the cellblock with an ESP project guide. When the participant has selected their piece, his or her guide will escort them outside and release the urn to the participant. Within this audience interactive art performance I hope to create a transformative experience for both the participant and for the space in which the event occurs. Rocky Lewycky, Project Statement, February 2010

Jeff Mongrain

The Iris of Sir John Daugman

Medium & Materials:
Clay, optical lens, photograph, and natural light

Date:
2010

Description:
The tracery of this ocular window is reminiscent of the stone framing around the clock in the tower of the Philadelphia City Hall, which still houses the judicial branches of the civil courts. In the center of this round window form is a photograph of the left (evil) eye of Cambridge Professor John Daugman. Professor Daugman is the inventor and patent holder of the iris scanning technology currently being used for security identification at international airports. Jeffrey Mongrain, Project Statement, February 2010