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b ack in g p late.

Photo/John YVoroneiski.

O ’ R o r k e t r a in e d a s a f u n c t io n a l p o t t e r , a n d in s is t s t h a t s h e is

a “ t h r o w e r " w h o s e t u r n t o m o ld - m a k in g is a r e s u lt o f h e r q u e s t fo r

a s o lu t io n t o t h e p r o b le m o f m a s s p r o d u c t io n . S h e is w a r y o f th e

w o r d " d e s ig n e r ." Y e t s h e b e lie v e s s t u d i o a r t is t s h a v e a lo t to o f f e r

in d u s t r y . " B e c a u s e w e t h in k in a d i f f e r e n t w a y a n d h a v e a c lo s e

r e la t io n s h ip w i t h t h e m a t e r ia l, w e c a n b r e a k d o w n b a r r ie r s a n d

c r e a t e s o m e th in g in s p ir e d th a t c a n b e m a n u fa c t u r e d .”

A f t e r g e t t in g a d e g r e e in p a in t in g , O 'R o r k e s t u d ie d c e r a m ic s

a n d w a s fo r tu n a te e n o u g h to b e in th e fir s t c la s s ta u g h t b y L u c ie R ie

a t t h e C a m b e r w e ll S c h o o l o f A r t in L o n d o n . O ’ R o r k e e x p r e s s e s

b e w ild e r m e n t a s to w h y th e fo r m id a b le M s . R i c - w h o s u r v e y e d th e

e n tir e o u tp u t o f th e c la s s a n d r e s p o n d e d w i t h “ T h e s e a r e t e r r ib le ! ” —

s a id t o h e r la t e r “ I f y o u n e e d h e lp , c o m e s e e m e .” T h e t e a c h e r p r e -

s u m a b ly r e c o g n iz e d th e c o m m it m e n t a n d ta le n t o f th e s t u d e n t . In

a n y c a s e , w h e n O ’ R o r k e r e t u r n e d to c e r a m ic s a f t e r a 2 0 -y e a r h ia tu s

d u r in g w h ic h s h e r a is e d a fa m ily a n d h e lp e d r u n a h o te l a n d r e s t a u -

r a n t w it h h e r th e n - h u s b a n d , a c h e f , it w a s to R i e t h a t s h e t u r n e d fo r

a n a ll- im p o r t a n t ju d g m e n t .

A f t e r O ’ R o r k e t o o k u p c e r a m ic s a g a in s h e w a s s u c c e s s fu l m a k in g

fu n c t io n a l p o t t e r y : " I c o u ld d o e v e r y t h i n g a p o t t e r w a s s u p p o s e d

t o d o : m a k e lid s f it , m a k e b ig t h in g s , m a k e lit t le t h in g s , a n d I d id i t ,

a n d I s o ld i t . ” Y e t a f t e r a f e w y e a r s s h e b e c a m e r e s t le s s , a n d w a s

u n n e r v e d b y R i e ’ s r e s p o n s e t o h e r w o r k in a g a lle r y s h o w : “ N e v e r

m a k e a n y t h in g j u s t b e c a u s e y o u t h in k it w i l l s e l l .” S h e lo v e d

p o r c e l a in fr o m t h e m in u t e s h e p u t h e r h a n d s t o i t , a n d o n e d a y ,

h o ld in g u p a b o w l t o s h o w a p a in t e r f r ie n d h o w l o v e ly t h e tr a n s lu -

c e n c e o f p o r c e la in w a s , s h e w a s s t r u c k b y a q u e s t io n , “ W h y d o n ’ t

I p u t a lig h t in s id e ? ” B u t t h a t w o u ld b e c e r a m ic s a c r ile g e : “ A v e s s e l

is a c o n t a in e r , a n d w h e n y o u p u t a h o le in it , it n o lo n g e r c o n t a in s ."

F u ll o f a p p r e h e n s io n , s h o w in g R i e h e r n e w v a s e fo r m c o n t a in in g

a lig h t , s h e a s k e d i f it ’ s a c c e p t a b le to t u r n a v a s e in to a la m p . A f t e r

a lo n g p a u s e , t h e a n s w e r c a m e : “ M a r g a r e t , w h y n o t ? ”

F r o m th e n o n , O ’ R o r k e s a y s , “ I n e v e r lo o k e d b a c k .” S h e d e v e l-

o p e d a n e w a p p r o a c h t h a t in v o lv e d c u t t in g , r e - fo r m in g a n d th e n

jo i n i n g t h e t h r o w n e le m e n t s . T h e a r t is t h a s w o r k e d e v e r s in c e to

d e v e lo p a v a r ie t y o f w h a t s h e c a lls “ fr e e s t a n d in g lig h t s c u lp t u r e s ” -

n o t la m p s —w it h im p r e s s iv e r e s u lts t h a t c o m b in e th e t r a d it io n a l a n d

th e m o d e r n w i t h ly r i c is m , b o ld n e s s , in g e n u it y a n d a b e a u t y th a t

r e v e a ls O ’ R o r k e ’s o w n fo r m o f m a g ic .

I t is c u s t o m a r y t o d is t in g u is h b e t w e e n fu n c t io n a l a n d n o n f u n c -

tio n a l c e r a m ic s , b e t w e e n b a s ic t a b le w a r e o r o t h e r u tilit a r ia n o b je c t s ,

a n d s c u lp t u r e . O ’ R o r k e ’ s lig h t s c u lp t u r e s a r e g e n e r a l ly —b u t n o t

a lw a y s - in t e n d e d a s s u p p le m e n t a r y s o u r c e s o f lig h t , n o t a s th e p r in c i-

p a l lig h t in a r o o m o r th e b a s ic lig h t in g fo r a c tiv it ie s s u c h a s r e a d in g .

T h e i r r o le is m o r e p s y c h o lo g ic a l a n d a e s t h e t ic , a f f e c t i n g a s p a c e in

s u b tle w a y s . L i k e Isa m u N o g u c h i’s A k a r i lig h t s , O ’ R o r k e ’s c r e a t io n s

p a r t ic ip a t e in w h a t N o g u c h i d e s c r ib e d a s “ th e s c u lp t u r e o f s p a c e s .”

O ’ R o r k e is a g r e a t a d m ir e r o f N o g u c h i , a n d is a ls o w e ll a w a r e o f>

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