Artivism in the Face of Gun Violence: 'Thoughts and Prayers' ceramic series
Artivism in the Face of Gun Violence: 'Thoughts and Prayers' ceramic series
Interview with Stanley Tong, USA based ceramic artists using art to spark conversation
Tell us what led to the creation of ‘Thoughts and Prayers’
My family and I had lived near Allen, Texas when the outlet mall shooting occurred May 6, 2023. The timing of this tragedy coincided with the start of my artist in residency program with Graduate Hotels and DJ White Shadow.
When I was younger, I used to watch MythBusters. They often shot into ballistic gel to show the energy of the bullets. While watching I was both terrified and fascinated by the sheer power behind these projectiles.
This series was created to show the transfer of energy from guns and bullets while providing a platform to discuss gun violence.
Why clay?
Ceramics, as a medium, is special because of how permanent it is. With painting or drawing, you can cover up or erase. With clay, once the piece is fired, it is permanently fixed in that state for all of eternity. Using clay as a medium for this series helps me communicate the permanence of this damage and the true magnitude of its effect.
From a physics standpoint, clay is certainly a different material than flesh. The intent here was not to create a 1:1 simulation for flesh as a substance. Typically, when a bullet impacts a soft substance, the wound expands and contracts. In this case, the clay expands but does not contract, showcasing the peak of expansion of the bullet wound and the peak of energy delivered to the sculpture.
What does your work aim to say?
Gun violence, especially in the United States, invades all aspects of society. It impacts each of us on a personal level too.
I hope people consider not only the physical effects of gun violence, but also the wider psychological damage to even those who haven’t been in the direct path of destruction.
Do you worry about sending your kids to school?
Do you worry about your safety in certain spaces?
Are you uncomfortable at large events?
Have you considered that there may be impacts that surface later?
As they reflect on this, I hope they reconsider their priorities and how they can prevent and reduce these incidents in their own homes, communities, and society as a whole.
What is the process of creating one of these pieces?
These fifteen pieces are made from thrown clay. Depending on the piece’s size, wall thickness, and overall shape; a firearm is selected that best matches the piece. If the piece was too small, a bullet might destroy it beyond the point of recovery. However, if it was too large of a piece with a small impact, it would look unbalanced. The wet clay was my canvas, and the firearm was my paintbrush.
After the pieces were shot, they were bisque fired then pit fired. The pieces were buried alongside a variety of firewood, sawdust, gunpowder, and other random combustibles. Once everything was set ablaze, it burned for several hours so the chemicals in the wood and combustibles deposit to the surface of the piece, marking it with coloring and interesting patterns.
Burying these pieces for firing was a moment of reflection. It was a reminder of how gun violence often leaves communities grieving and burying loved ones. In this case, we were fortunate to be burying art, not people. As these pieces were buried in the pit, they absorbed their scars and emerged transformed.
What became of these pieces?
The pieces were auctioned off and proceeds were donated to the Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) non-profit, funding gun violence prevention programs for over 750 students.
How can we find out about your other projects?
The best place is my social media and website. Pieces can be purchased from my site. I love for people to connect with my work not just as buyers, but as part of a larger community that values meaningful conversations through art.
Interview by Katy Menne: Instagram • LinkedIn
MORE
Stanley Tong: Instagram • Website
Sandy Hook Promise: Website