Embodied Clay

Embodied Clay was a week-long masterclass for early-career artists. It was led by artist-researchers Priska Falin and Helen Felcey and took place at Spode Works, Stoke-on-Trent in 2018.

Embodied Clay was informed by the theory of Embodied Cognition (Johnson, 2007), which challenges the Cartesian philosophy of separating thinking from our bodies.

“My work is already quite process-based but I really feel I’ve developed my work hugely this week. I will continue with the process I’ve been exploring and allow myself dedicated time for this.”
-Embodied Clay participant

By creating time and space for participants to focus on different processes when working with clay, participants were able to better understand how their own bodies and experiences are part of the production of knowledge.

“Repetitive process was identified as a key method to explore, providing opportunity for participants to dwell and experience, with no requirement of a destination. The embodied experience is an intimate, personal experience. In our preparation and delivery, we understood the importance of our tone of delivery and the workshop site, which needed to gently yet confidently hold the personal experiences as they unfolded.”
-Helen Felcey and Priska Falin