This project is inspired by three areas of the world that had major effects in ceramics: Eastern asia, Europe and Southern asia/north africa. In a broader sense, These cultures all have a strong connection to food and mushrooms specifically, which is what inspired the general shape. The cap of the mushroom takes form after the souther asian style, the use of red clay and an inscription of a Moroccan saying in the language of Tifinag. The saying reads “If breath of sun does belch its heat,we boil coffee and prepare to eat”, which is from a poem by Roman Payne. The strip of brown speckled with yellow is a porcelain section with a traditional chun temmoku glaze to represent the japanese style of ceramic. The colorful strip on the base is done in the style of majolica, a common practice in europe functional ware. I chose to construct this as a lamp because the motif of light and the sun is an important factor in the beliefs of all these cultures.
