EIN BESONDERER KERAMIKBRENNOFEN IM AUSSENRAUM WIRD ERST ZUM EREIGNIS, DANN ZUR ORTSSPEZIFISCHEN UND PARTIZIPATIVEN SKULPTUR – VON UND FÜR DIE GEMEINSCHAFT!

THE CONSTRUCTION OF A UNIQUE CERAMIC KILN IN KUNSTQUARTIER, GMUNDEN STARTS AS A PARTICIPATORY EVENT, AND LATER BECOMES A SITE-SPECIFIC AND INTERACTIVE SCULPTURE MADE BY AND FOR THE COMMUNITY! 

We invite everyone, interested in soda-firing, to bring or send your ceramic pieces (stoneware, 1280*C!) to fire & salt-glaze them! And thereby participate in the public art work, that SALZTOR will become later on, after inscribing many firings!

Schedule, firing#3
23/10 - loading
24/10 - loading / preheating the kiln
25/10 - Firing starts in the early morning
26/10 - Firing ends at dawn

28/10 - Kiln opening

Location: Stadtgarten Kunstquartier, Johann-Tagwerker-Straße 12, 4810 Gmunden (Austria)

Description This workshop and training is directed to ceramists, artists and anyone who is interested in participating and learning how to build a large ceramic kiln and about wood firing. Participants will be involved in all phases of planning, building, helping, carrying materials, producing clay pieces, collecting and preparing wood, firing the kiln and everything about it. The idea is to teach the participants to be autonomous in firing this kiln, so they can use it and promote future firings with local artists or with their own work. This is a rare opportunity to build such a large kiln and to learn from experienced ceramists and kiln experts. It requires some commitment to the project as it’s a long term workshop. Participants are expected to be present for longer periods - at least three days - or the whole building period. Expect some physical work outdoors, a friendly environment to share knowledge and experiment something new. Come join us!

Workshop Leader: Salztor Team: João Rolaça, Fernando Roussado and Elisa Schmid

Dates: 08/07/24 – 31/07/24 (estimated), 9h-17h (lunch break 13h-14h), except sundays and other few days. Adjustments to calendar can be discussed with workshop leaders.

Public target: Ceramists, artists or anyone over 18 years old. Priority will be given to local residents of Salzkammergut region / Upper Austria. Maximum 3 participants.

Skill level: Beginner or Advanced

Materials to be used: Bricks, mortars, special materials, wood, power tools (not mandatory), building tools, clay, etc.

Other info:

The workshop will be fully conducted in ENGLISH.

Free admittance

Motivation letter required: Why do you want to participate? In which periods are you available? Any physical condition we should know about? Any other relevant information?

Registration: hello@gmunden24dreissig.com 

Location: Kunstquartier, Gmunden, Austria

In this workshop, we will make a collective set of wares to be used by the participants and the community at a meal, after the wood firing. We will use classical and improvised techniques to produce these objects, using different clay bodies (found and commercial) and materials found on site. Spontaneous and experimental forms and gestures are welcome. Everybody is invited, younger and elder, experienced ceramists or complete beginners with no experience with clay. We invite the participants to bring some food to share for lunch together on the days of the workshop. Please bring appropriate clothing to work with clay and basic tools, if you have some (spatula, knife, roll or other).

In this workshop, we will make a collective set of wares to be used by the participants and the community at a meal, after the wood firing. We will use classical and improvised techniques to produce these objects, using different clay bodies (found and commercial) and materials found on site. Spontaneous and experimental forms and gestures are welcome. Everybody is invited, younger and elder, experienced ceramists or complete beginners with no experience with clay. We invite the participants to bring some food to share for lunch together on the days of the workshop. Please bring appropriate clothing to work with clay and basic tools, if you have some (spatula, knife, roll or other).

This workshop is directed to ceramists, artists and anyone who is interested in participating and learning about how to work on surfaces in salt/soda fired ceramics.

The aim of the praxis is to study the material compositions and reactions in this special firing method by making varieties of glaze and engobe samples as a toolkit for further recipies to experiment in Salztor, a “library of possibilities”. It will be fired in the initial Salztor firing 22-25/08.

Gerald Pfaffl will guide the participants through his own tool set for modeling, teaching how to use it on clay and also how to make their own tool set.

The second part of the workshop will be dedicated to show how to prepare engobes and glaze like coatings for salt/soda firing.

This is an opportunity to learn about general ceramic chemistry and surface technique but also to be guided about specific interests of your own research. Gerald Pfaffl is one of the most experienced ceramists working in Austria (teaching ceramics at the Angewandte since 14 years).

Come and join us!

The focus of this workshop is to share knowledge about the artistic and technical process to produce a medium to large scale ceramic piece. Participants are expected to present an ideia or design they want to turn into reality and will be guided by a team of ceramists and sculptors through the necessary steps to accomplish it.

Sculptures, functional or design objects, wall panels, architectural elements and other forms, glazed or unglazed are welcome to be developed and fired in the wood kiln - Salztor, later on.

The workshop will include group presentation of the projects, individual mentoring, studio time and visits to exhibitions or relevant places in Gmunden. 

Salztor introduction workshop within the art curriculum at BRG Gmunden, the local middle school.