im p o r t a n t . A n d I fin d t h e c o n s t r a in t s t o le r a b le , e v e n i n s p ir in g .”

H i s u lt im a t e s t a n d o n f u n c t i o n a l i t y is a m a r r ia g e o f c o m m o n

s e n s e a n d p r a n k s t e r p lo tt in g —“ I lik e w o r k in g w it h fu n c t io n a l o b je c t s

b e c a u s e p e o p l e a r e n ’ t e x p e c t i n g m u c h f r o m a d in n e r p la t e . Y o u

c a n s n e a k s o m e th in g in . B u t i f y o u s c r e w w i t h it t o o m u c h it w o n ’t

b e u s e d . I t ’s m o r e in t e r e s t in g t o m e t h a t t h e s e p ie c e s g e t u s e d .”

H e is c a r e f u l t o p o in t o u t h is d is in t e r e s t in o v e r - r o m a n t ic iz in g

th e id e a t h a t a n o b je c t ’ s b e a u t y e m e r g e s fr o m e v e r y d a y u s e , b e lie v in g

t h a t b e a u t y is s o m e th in g th e m a k e r b r in g s t o th e p ie c e . “ T h e f u n c -

t io n a l w o r k I m a k e fits in t o t w o b r o a d c a t e g o r ie s . In t h e f i r s t , th e

c o n c e p t b e h in d i t is b e a u t y . I t h a s to w o r k , o f c o u r s e , a n d y o u e x p e r i -

e n c e th e b e a u t y th r o u g h fu n c t io n . I n th e s e c o n d , I s t ill w a n t it t o b e

b e a u t if u l b u t t h e r e ’ s a n a d d it io n a l c o n c e p t t h a t d r iv e s i t , lik e h u m o r

o r u n d e r ly in g s ta te m e n ts th a t a re m o r e s p e c if ic th a n its b e in g a b o u t

p a t t e r n , fo r in s t a n c e .”

T w o o f B r a y m a n ’s b e s t - k n o w n p ie c e s h a v e e m e r g e d fr o m th is

s e c o n d c a t e g o r y . H is G o l d - L i n e d C u p w it h C o n c e a le d D e c o r a t io n ,

f o r in s t a n c e , h a s t o b e u s e d t o “ w o r k . ” T h e s e p o r c e la in c u p s b e a r

t e x t c o n c e a le d b e n e a t h a 2 3 k g o ld g l a z e . D e s c r i b e d b y B r a y m a n a s

“ k in d o f lik e a lo t t e r y t i c k e t ,” th e p ie c e t o y s w i t h th e fa te fin e c h in a

o f t e n m e e t s in a d is h w a s h e r w h e r e t h e h o t w a t e r c a u s e s t h e lu s t e r

t o fa d e . In th is c a s e , y o u h a v e t o u s e a n d a b u s e t h e p ie c e f o r t h e g o ld

t o w e a r a w a y a n d r e v e a l th e t e x t . F o r fu n c t io n a l p ie c e s o f th is ilk th a t

r e ly o n u s e r i n t e r a c t io n , B r a y m a n a llo w s , “ i t c a n g e t c o n f u s in g

w o n d e r i n g w h e n th e p ie c e is d o n e .”

W i t h C h a n g e D is h —p r o b a b ly h is b ig g e s t p r o d u c t io n r u n to d a te

o f a s in g le id e a , w i t h 3 0 o r 4 0 p r o d u c e d s o f a r - B r a y m a n in v e r t s th e

v e s s e l c o n c e p t , u s in g t h e o b je c t s y o u w o u ld p la c e in it a s t h e e x t e -

r io r a r c h ite c t u r e . In th is c a s e th e m o ld is m a d e u s in g th e c o in s fo u n d

l y i n g a r o u n d h is s t u d i o . In t h e e ig h t - in c h - d ia m e t e r v e r s io n , th e

p ie c e s e lls fo r $ 4 5 .7 1 , th e s a m e a m o u n t u s e d t o c r e a t e t h e m o ld .

A lt h o u g h t h e s e t w o p ie c e s h a v e b e e n s u c c e s s e s b y a ll a c c o u n t s ,

B r a y m a n is a w a r e o f t h e fin e lin e b e t w e e n m a k in g a s t a te m e n t o r

jo k e w i t h a p ie c e a n d h a v in g it r e t a in its v a lu e a s a fu n c t io n a l o b je c t .

“ I d o n ’t w a n t t o m a k e c u p s w i t h t e x t a b o u t D a r f u r . N o t t h a t D a r -

f u r ’ s n o t im p o r t a n t , b u t o n c e y o u p u t th a t t e x t o n a n o b je c t it o v e r -

s h a d o w s t h e f u n c t io n . I t b e c o m e s a s t a t e m e n t , a p ie c e o f a r t .”

W i t h m o r e tim e o n h is h a n d s t o d e v o t e t o th e M a t t e r F a c t o r y

B r a y m a n is e x c it e d a b o u t d e v e lo p in g n e w id e a s a n d e x p a n d in g h is

c o lla b o r a t io n s . H e w o r k e d w i t h A y u m i H o r ie o n a s e r ie s e x h ib it e d a!

N e w Y o r k ’ s G r e e n w ic h H o u s e P o t t e r y in M a y 2 0 0 9 . H e is a ls o

c o lla b o r a t in g w i t h W a l t e r O s t r o m , “ a c h a m p io n o f d e c o r a t io n w it h

e x p a n s iv e k n o w l e d g e o f t h is h i s t o r y .” T h e y w i l l b e c r o s s in g n a -

t io n a l b o r d e r s t o p r o d u c e a s e t o f p la t e s , w i t h B r a y m a n e x e c u t in g

th e fir s t s t a g e a t th e M a t t e r F a c t o r y in K a n s a s C i t y a n d th e n s e n d in g

th e m t o N o v a S c o t ia t o b e d e c o r a t e d b y O s t r o m .

A n o t h e r in t r ig u in g u p c o m in g p r o je c t in v o lv e s w h a t B r a y m a n

c a lls a “ t o r n a d o m a c h in e .” H e is t a k in g b r ic k a n d c in d e r b lo c k f r a g -

m e n ts fr o m t h e t o w n o f G r e e n s b u r g , K a n s a s , d e s t r o y e d in 2 0 0 7

b y a t o r n a d o , a n d p u t t in g th e m in a s im p le c e n t r if u g e m a c h in e th a t

t u r n s t h in g s t o d u s t “ u s in g o n ly s p in n in g a ir in a m e t a l c o n e .” H e

is u s in g th e d u s t m a d e fr o m th e s e c o n s t r u c t io n fr a g m e n t s in to g la z e s

f o r p ie c e s t h a t w i l l u lt im a t e ly g o b a c k t o G r e e n s b u r g .

B r a y m a n w i l l a ls o c o n t in u e t o w o r k w i t h h is f r ie n d A l l e g h e n y

M e a d o w s t o h e lp b r in g M e a d o w s ’ s A r t s t r e a m t r a ile r t o c r a f t e v e n ts

t o s e ll p o t t e r y m a d e b y B r a y m a n , M e a d o w s , H o r ie , C h r is t a A s s a d

( p r o f ile d in A m e r ic a n C r a f t , O c t o b e r / N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 8 ) a n d o t h e r s .

T h i s p r o j e c t , a v i n t a g e A i r s t r e a m t r a ile r c o n v e r t e d in t o a >

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