Ian Rylatt / Ceramicist & The Bontnewydd Collective
I Wanna’ Hear It Again
Mixed-Media including; Papier Mâché, Gramophone components and collection of 78 vinyl
The old to new chair is really about celebrating the old and bringing it to our present. From the First World War, the depression of the 30’s and through the Second World War music was a way to cope with the tragedies of those years. It was not only listened to but the village hall dances were an important place to come together to let go of the tensions of life through dance, laughter, talk and love.
The sense of community spirit has been revived, like these old records, in the way this chair has come to be. Friends and fellow artists have all had a part to play in creating this piece. They got in the groove, and the record of all that love has now come full circle in the chair. In its new life, its old life can be enjoyed for years to come…listen carefully…play on…play on…
Working with other artists and feeling their enthusiasm and support for this project has been a privilege I didn’t expect when I began. This collaborative effort has also been implicit and reflected in Tom’s whole project, again something that I feel privileged to be part of.
I thank all those who have contributed to this so far. Just last week someone asked if she could do something…this isn’t yet finished!
The record will keep playing…listen out for the next gig, sometime next year!
I wanna' hear it again - Performance piece
Maker Photo Diary
(Click on an image to enlarge or view individually)
Selecting a frame
Wanting to work with a complete chair including the original plywood seat and back, there were two frames to choose from both circa late 1930's. Receipt of chair fame.
Making a Maquette
Reclaimed annealed galvanised steel wire, straightened and wrapped in rolled paper tubes. Chair profiles formed with long nosed and combination pliers.
Fabricating ceramic clarinet components
Throwing tubes on the Potter's Wheel, extruding clay coils, creating slab built buttons, fixing sections together with ceramic slip.
During a daily ramble foraging samples of separated bark, the torn edges inspired a similar aesthetic for the clarinet sections. The detail being in the imperfection of each individual piece.
Bisque firing the ceramic components
Loading the kiln with tiers of components and firing.
Deconstructing the Gramophone
Carefully removing all the components from a donor gramophone.
Fitting Gramophone components to the chair
Marking out the chair and drilling precise holes to rehouse the Gramophone motor, arm, turntable and relating components.
Fabricating the arm
Fabricating a custom arm to connect the stylus and turntable to the sound horn using 22mm copper pipe and a selection of end feed plumbing fittings.
Fabricating the motor housing box
Cutting and joining a mitre-jointed soft-wood frame using wood glue and corrugated nails held in a corner clamp. Attaching a 4mm plywood base to the frame then fixing to the underside of the existing seat section with wood screws.
Creating the Papier Mâché sound horn
Paula Rylatt cast the sound horn around an existing example wrapped in cling film, used as the master former. A mixture of soft tissue paper, PVA, water and repair filler was blended together then applied by hand and using a small trowel to even the surface.
Casting the glass turntable cover
Drawing the design at full scale and cutting out layers of paper templates then slump casting sheet glass in the kiln.
