In CerCoN, two very different traditions meet. One is the millenia old tradition of digging up earth, forming and baking it to end up with objects that we now call ceramics. The other is the comparitively very new field of computing, barely half a century old.

The techniques of ceramics have not really changed much over the millennia -we still get our clay from the ground (although we might buy it pre-packed), we still form it with our hands or on a wheel, we still fire it in kilns not far removed from those of our ancestors. While we now do have modern (computer controlled!) electric kilns, wood-firing, Raku and even pit-firing are still very popular.

In contrast the development of computer hardware and software, and in the 90's the Internet, has been at a breath-taking speed. The computing power available to the home user today would have made an Information Technology scientist's eyes widen with disbelief only five to ten years ago. Every half year a new generation of machines appears on the market. And the rapid domestic development of the Internet has surprised many if not all.

I had endeavoured to get ceramic artists involved in CerCoN, whether they were 'connected' or not, whether they even new of the existence of the Internet or not. Messages were posted on-line, ads were printed in magazines. The result is a show not confined to only those who have a computer, modem and service provider.

Organising an on-line ceramics exhibition might seem a strange thing to do. One will probably never get a chance to see the actual works, feel their tactile qualities, their weight etc. But then again, a vast part of our experience of ceramic art (and the world for that matter) stems from visual media such as printed magazines. Now with the Internet we have another media that has the potential to combine print, radio, television, video, the telephone and maybe more, all into one. Hypertext offers possibilities of connecting information that are otherwise hardly possible.

So where will it go from here? Maybe it will be a matter of exploring the interactive capabilities of the Net, perhaps other features. Maybe at the next exhibition you will be the judge. For now, sit back, relax and enjoy the 1997 CerCoN Ceramics Exhibition on the Net.

Steven Goldate
Competition organiser

Steven would welcome feedback on what you think of the show and the idea of on-line exhibitions in general. This information will help to determine if Claynet will organise another competition of this type in the future.

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