Moon Jar/Womb Chairs
2007
mixed media
Moon Jars are historical vessels that were made during the Choson dynasty (1392–1910). The material used was porcelain. They were made in celebration of the full moon, to capture a phenomena in nature that happens every 30 days that is perfect and pure. They were made in two parts, accepting the limitation of the material as well as human skill. They did not result in perfect round forms. Thus the beauty of the moon-jar is the relaxed approach to process.
Reinforcing the moon-like appearance is the milky white colour with no pattern or decoration. Because of their sheer size, jars of this kind were made by throwing the top and bottom sections separately and joining them at the centre. In many cases these two sections were slightly different in size and thickness, creating an intriguing contour around the jar. It embodied the principles of frugality and purity. The asymmetry of the jar caused by warping on the wheel or slumping in the kiln was viewed not as a deformity, but rather as nature taking its course.
The idea of making chairs to view the Moon Jars was born while I was in the process of making the Moon Jar. When my arms were stretched out to embrace the jar, I had the vicarious experience of bearing a child in my body. I wanted to explore the idea of what a woman’s body might feel like when pregnant, and how it might feel to be inside of a womb.