12th Festival of High Temperatures
Art Full of Fire | 21-23.06.2019
The Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław
ul. Traugutta 19/21 | Wrocław | Poland
The 12th Festival of High Temperatures started on June 21st, 2019. It is organised by the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław. This is the only artistic event in Poland during which artists share their knowledge and experience with other enthusiasts of “hot” art, showing their work to the public from behind the scenes. It is also a great opportunity for students of Art Colleges and Secondary Schools of Fine Art to work together with world-famous specialists and to make their own projects.
‘Art Full of Fire’ was the theme of this year’s event and it accompanied artists and participants, who met during numerous demonstrations, inspiring workshops and interesting exhibitions. We invited world-famous professional artists working with glass, ceramics and metal. They were presenting their art and skills during the three June days. It was really hot!
PROGRAM OF THE 12TH FESTIVAL OF HIGH TEMPERATURES 2019 (pdf)
METAL SECTION
Making cast iron sculpture is a complex and time-consuming process. Spectacular iron, bronze and aluminium pours are the climax of a several-week work which includes many stages. At the Festival of High Temperatures we try to shorten the preparation time and tailor the events for the public so as to bring the mystique of molten metal to the masses. This year we have very special guests who are skilled and knowledgeable metal casters. An American artist, Tamsie Ringler (University of Minnesota, USA) will present her performance with cast iron titled “Fenced” exploring the problem of limitations and barriers in the contemporary world. David Lobdell, professor of New Mexico Highlands University (USA), will warm up the public with an iron pour from a cupola furnace and he will build a “Message Furnace”, which will make the dreams come true. Andy Griffiths, who has already taken part in the festival in the previous years, together with his students from the Carmarthen School of Art in Wales, will create a fiery performance. Noah Kirby from Washington University (USA) will conduct a scratchblock workshop for the festival audience followed by an iron pour from a small cupola furnace. An interesting iron performance called “A Fern Flower” will be organized by students from the Sculpture Research Circle (the Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław). The magic fern flower, according to the myth, blooms for a very short time on the eve of the summer solstice and brings fortune to the person who finds it. “Hot Vegetables” will be another demonstration of metal pouring. Different fruit and vegetables will be filled with molten aluminium. The sculptures taken out from melons, pumpkins and watermelons will be given to the audience. We have also prepared a variety of workshops during which everyone will be able to try their hand in making moulds. The art pieces made by the participants will then be cast in bronze, aluminium and iron. Jewellery workshops and demonstrations will be a perfect opportunity to watch and learn about the processes of working with other kinds of metal.
CERAMICS SECTION
Curators of the Ceramics section have also planned a multitude of fiery events. A group of artists and students from the Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław, as well as their international guests, will reveal the secrets of working with clay and fire. This year we will return to the roots. A Korean artist Hyang Jong Oh, who will participate in the festival for the first time, will demonstrate a traditional technique of creating monumental Ongii vessels. We highly recommend a demonstration led by ceramicists from the KERAMIKUM Group (CZ) who will reconstruct a 16th century Japanese technique called kuro raku. They will be using replica of original tools. Once again we will host artists from the Garncarnia Group who will invite the public to try throwing on pottery wheels without using electricity. There will be very modern accents as well. 3D printing techniques in ceramics will be presented by the Ceramic Design Studio. Kay Aplin and Joseph Young (UK) in their performance will make an astonishing combination of ceramics and sound. The Neon Gallery will be filled with a Doreuldakta Project Group installation (South Korea) which will be co-created by the festival audience. Between tradition and contemporary practice we will meet with Samuel Chung (USA), who will use well-known methods of pottery throwing in an innovative way. Jason Hess (USA) will fire a Train Kiln – the most popular kind of kiln used for woodfiring ceramics at universities in the USA. We will also announce the winners of the Tea Bowl Competition entitled “The Sixth Tea Bowl”. There will be plenty of annual attractions as well – workshops for children and adults, a charity event Empty Bowls and a lot of flaming outdoor ceramic firings. We’re waiting for you and warming up our kilns!
GLASS SECTION
In the Glass section we will welcome excellent international guests – Brent Cole (USA), Eirin Bjørsland Hansen (Norway) and Agâh Barış Can Aksakal (Turkey), who will demonstrate hot glass-forming methods. After a few-year break, we will host a master of unique glass-working techniques – Martin Stefanek (the Czech Republic). While making his vessel-sculptural objects, he and his assistants will take us on a historic journey through different decorative motifs used indesign in the past. Flame-working techniques will be used by neon makers, Jörg Hanowski (Germany) and Kamila Mróz (Poland). Kamila Mróz is the first Polish artist making sculptures in a plasma light technique. Next to the masters’ demonstrations, students from the Glass Research Circle will show glassblowing techniques using an outdoor furnace set in the yard. Everyone interested in learning about he stages of making classical stained glass is invited to a demonstration by Ryszard Więckowski and Katarzyna Pyka (Poland), and those who are more inquisitive might want to follow the attempt of reconstructing a medieval stained glass workshop by Marcin Czeski (Poland).
To all enthusiasts of hot glass we recommend flame working, glass working and pâte de verre workshops. Moreover, we encourage to take part in the Face up to Glass workshop of artistic re/upcycling and Glass Garden during which participants will make their small gardens in glass vessels. To cool down a little bit, there will be workshops of decorating glass by sanding, grinding and carving with drills, as well as painting under glass, redesign and jewellery beadmaking.
What else? There will be multimedia displays, exhibitions, a conference, as well as events tailored for families.
#fwt2019 | #fwt | #festiwalwysokichtemperatur
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Participation in all Festival events is free of charge.
More: www.festiwalwysokichtemperatur.pl
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Organiser: The Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław
Financed by:
The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland
The City of Wrocław
