Saturday 24 February 2018

Serena Korda - Missing Time at BALTIC

"Serena Korda works across performance, sound and sculpture reconsidering aspects of communion and tradition in our lives. Korda is the 2016-17 Norma Lipman & BALTIC Fellow in Ceramic Sculpture at Newcastle University, a two-year residency that culminates in this exhibition.


During her fellowship, Korda has drawn inspiration from her location and the people she has met. She has become fascinated by the sound of stars from the dark skies of Northumberland, only audible with specific radio devices, and the pre-radar acoustic sound mirrors dotted along the North East coastline that attempted to detect the sound of enemy planes up until 1919.


During her research, Korda has explored planetary harmonics using homemade radio telescopes to pick up the sound of our galaxy. The particular frequencies derived from the planets, otherwise known as the ‘Music of the Spheres’, were believed during the Renaissance period to have a direct effect on the human psyche. Inspired by these different ways of listening, the potential healing power of sounds and their use as a way of communicating, Korda has created a series of large ceramic dish-shaped portals that act as sound resonators. Working alongside North East-based a capella group Mouthful (Katherine Zeseron, Bex Mathers, Dave Camlin and Sharon Durant), Korda has created a sound work that plays with the harmonics of each portal and a powerful live performance that touches on invisible forces, consciousness and what lies beyond planet Earth."


It is wonderful that BALTIC is currently exhibiting solo exhibitions by women in each of it's galleries, and with the quality of the artwork and hugh standard of the exhibitions, I really hope that this is not the only time it will happen.


Korda's ceramics are beautiful objects containing patterns and marks that resemble marble while also appearing painterly and washy. I was intrigued to find out that the technique used to form the patterns is Nerikomi, a Japanese technique "in which the clay is stained different colours, rolled into a sausage shape, sliced and rolled back together for a marbled finish with runs right through the body of the dish. Korda then scraped back the surface" to reveal more layers. 

I'm looking forward to going to her sonic performance in March.

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