The Ban Chiang Project:
Influences of a Bronze Age Culture on a Digital Age Artist
July 25 through August 3, 2004
Alcove Gallery
Second Floor, Fine Arts Building
George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
The Ban Chiang Project is an installation of ceramic sculpture and pottery--a collection of contemporary works that were largely inspired by the archaeological excavations of Ban Chiang, located along the Khorat Plateau of Thailand, in the 1960s and 1970s.
The Ban Chiang excavations yielded over one hundred burials, and included such grave goods as pottery, clay rollers, clay animal figurines, and ceramic anvils.
Ban Chiang
“Across the undulating landscape of the northern Khorat Plateau, northeast Thailand, archaeologists are discovering prehistoric sites of an artistically distinctive and technologically precocious people. Known as the Ban Chiang cultural tradition after its most renowned site, these communities of early farmers began to settle this region around 4000 B.C. . . . These dynamic societies with their early and advanced metallurgy were unknown prior to the late 1960s, and the discovery of such innovative communities in a region traditionally regarded as a cultural backwater of China and India took the archaeological world by surprise” (12).
“In 1960 a Thai Fine Arts Department officer inspected the [Ban Chiang] site, but there was little official interest at that time in the archaeology of the pre-Buddhist periods. Thus, non-archaeologists were largely responsible for the early notoriety of Ban Chiang . . . the Thai Fine Arts Department conducted test excavations at the village in 1967 that uncovered stone tools and bronze as well as pottery. Foreigners and collectors from Bangkok began to come to Ban Chiang on a small scale to buy artifacts, particularly the unusual pottery painted with the red swirling designs . . . Collecting pots became highly fashionable among Americans stationed in Udorn and among the wealthy of Bangkok. Villagers started to dig up their backyards to supply the shopping expeditions, and the pots went from meaningless curiosities to a source of income from which to buy medicine, send children to school, purchase televisions or even cars . . . Over the course of the Ban Chiang excavations it became evident that the site was much deeper and richer than [the neighboring site of] Non Nok Tha and in addition contained distinctive styles of ceramics and other artifacts. The red-painted pottery that captured public attention was literally the tip of the iceberg” (15 - 17).
--Joyce C. White, Senior Research Scientist,
University of Pennsylvania Museum
Ban Chiang: Discovery of a Lost Bronze Age
“Ban Chiang is considered the most important prehistoric settlement so far discovered in South-East Asia. It marks an important stage in human cultural, social and technological evolution. The site presents the earliest evidence of farming in the region and of the manufacture and use of metals.”
--United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
“Ban Chiang Archaeological Site”
http://whc.unesco.org
The Clay Rollers
The rollers (above) were carved from low-fire "Virginia Red" and "Carolina Buff" clays. The corresponding tiles were made by impressing the fired rollers into low-fire white clay. Fired tiles were then finished with pigmented wax. The rollers range in size from about 7 to about 9 cm--replicating the size of the rollers found in Ban Chiang.
“These [rollers] have a hole running down the centre, and the exterior surfaces have been excised to form coupled geometric and curvilinear designs. They have been variously interpreted as being rollers to impart patterns onto cloth, and as cylinder seals to impress an ownership mark on a plastic medium, such as clay. Since they have a convex outer surface, and would require fresh inking with every revolution, the latter interpretation is preferred” (191).
--Charles Higham, Professor of Anthropology
University of Otago, New Zealand
Early Cultures of Mainland Southeast Asia
“In the upper levels of the Ban Chiang site ceramic cylinders with deeply carved designs and a hole through the longitudinal axis were found both within and outside of the burials . . . The variety and intricacy of many designs echo the patterning of the painted pottery of the same time period, but there is no evidence that the rollers were used to apply the decoration to the pottery. The carved patterns yield simple linear designs, zig-zags, geometric designs, and curvilinear designs. Noteworthy is the fact that some quite elaborate designs are almost exactly duplicated. Since the manufacture and use of these implements must have required considerable skill, the placement of rollers with children aged one to six years old, too young to have been accomplished artisans, seems significant. No adult burials yielded rollers. The reason for this practice is unknown” (75).
--Joyce C. White, Senior Research Scientist,
University of Pennsylvania Museum
Ban Chiang: Discovery of a Lost Bronze Age
The Human Skeletal Remains
“The 1974 excavation of Ban Chiang revealed Bronze Age graves over a Neolithic cemetery, while Bronze Age graves were at the base of the sequence in the area opened a year later. The earliest Bronze Age graves belong to the third phase of the Early Period [ca. 3600 - 1000 B.C.], and continue into the Middle Period [ca. 1000 - 300 B.C.]. They were laid out in clusters or possibly rows, each containing the remains of men, women, children, and infants” (133).
--Charles Higham, Professor of Anthropology,
University of Otago, New Zealand
Early Cultures of Mainland Southeast Asia
The human skeleton was carved from low-fire white clay. It is life size (18 x 170 x 62 cm)
“As at [neighboring] Non Nok Tha, the excavations at Ban Chiang uncovered primarily mortuary remains. One hundred twenty-three burials, most of which contained grave goods, were recovered from the two seasons of excavation [1974-1975]” (17).
“Mortuary practices from the Early Period show considerable variation from individual to individual in the number, style and placement of grave goods, and sometimes the positioning of the body. Adults and juveniles are most commonly interred in a stretched out or supine position, a burial style which characterizes all three periods at Ban Chiang. During the Early Period one or more pots of various styles were placed toward the foot or the head of the body and occasionally jewelry or implements were also included” (23-24).
--Joyce C. White, Senior Research Scientist,
University of Pennsylvania Museum
Ban Chiang: Discovery of a Lost Bronze Age
Infant Jar Burials
“Infants received special treatment during the Early Period [ca. 3600 - 1000 B.C.]. Several jar burials were found containing human remains ranging in age from a seven-month-old fetus to a two-year-old child. Generally the remains were at most a few weeks old. This practice, together with the high proportion of infants, is peculiar to the Early Period, but the meaning of this distinctive treatment is not known” (24).
“Generally these pots are missing their bases and sometimes their rims, which were perhaps purposely broken off as part of the burial ritual” (63).
--Joyce C. White, Senior Research Scientist,
University of Pennsylvania Museum
Ban Chiang: Discovery of a Lost Bronze Age
“Most were found at the feet of female graves” (145).
The cat skeleton was created from low-fire paper clay. He lies on a bed of rice and wheat, and is contained in a funerary vessel. The vessel was hand built from low-fire "Virginia Red" and "Carolina Buff" clays, first burnished, and then finished with wax after the bisque firing. The designs on the interior of the vessel were first stamped into the wet clay--using handmade fired clay stamps--then filled in with the lighter color of clay (much like an inlay technique). The finished size of the Infant Jar Burial is 13 x 35 x 35 cm.
“The inclusion of grave goods with infants has in the past been used as a means of identifying ascribed rather than earned status in a community on the premise that the dead did not live long enough to achieve personal standing. On the other hand, infants might well have been accorded a relatively wealthy burial in order to project the personal status of family members” (145-146).
--Charles Higham, Professor of Anthropology,
University of Otago, New Zealand
Early Cultures of Mainland Southeast Asia
The Anvils
Low-fire white, and "Virginia Red" clays were used in moulding these anvils. The smallest is about 4 x 5 cm, and the largest is approximately 6 x 8 cm.
“An anvil is used to support the inside wall of a pot while the exterior is beaten with a wooden paddle to shape the walls and compact the clay. The shape and size of the anvil depend on the desired size of the pot” (76).
“Contemporary potters collect clay from a meander in a local stream bed. A grog is made from a mixture of rice husks and clay which is shaped into balls, baked, ground, and finally sifted. The potter mixes the grog with more clay on a woven mat by kneading and stamping the two materials with her feet. Vessels are begun from lumps of the clay preparation by forming open-ended cylinders. The cylinder is placed on an upright log and the potter forms the rim first by grasping the top of the cylinder with a wet leaf and moving quickly and smoothly around the log. When the rim has thus been formed the potter holds the cylinder in her lap and beats the exterior with a wooden paddle while supporting the interior with a baked clay anvil. The beating process closes the base of the cylinder and shapes the globular contour of the pot” (30).
--Joyce C. White, Senior Research Scientist,
University of Pennsylvania Museum
Ban Chiang: Discovery of a Lost Bronze Age
Animal Figurines
"Mouse" was created with a pinching method from "Virginia Red" clay. The surface is incised, and it was finished with wax. The inside contains tiny clay balls, so that it rattles when shaken. The tail was fashioned from raffia.
“Representations of natural forms are notably rare in the Ban Chiang cultural tradition, though it is, of course, possible that living things were depicted in perishable materials such as wood. Nonetheless, a few simple baked clay animal figurines have been recovered from Ban Chiang and related sites” (70).
--Joyce C. White, Senior Research Scientist,
University of Pennsylvania Museum
Ban Chiang: Discovery of a Lost Bronze Age
The Pottery
“At Ban Chiang, [Joyce C.] White has identified a major change in the cultural sequence which she dates to c 300 BC . . . Pots were now painted with red designs on a buff background. This much publicized ‘Ban Chiang Painted Pottery’, which has now been dated between 300 BC - AD 200, bears decorative patterns of great beauty. Motifs include curvilinear and spiral designs” (190).
--Charles Higham, Professor of Anthropology,
University of Otago, New Zealand
Early Cultures of Mainland Southeast Asia
Both pots were hand built using a coil method, and were burnished.
Left: Vessel, "Carolina Buff" slip over "Virginia Red" clay, underglaze and clear glaze. 25 x 23 x 23 cm. Right: Vessel, "Salmon" slip over "Virginia Red" clay, underglaze and semi-opaque glaze. 26 x 16.5 x 16.5 cm.
“The excavations at Ban Chiang uncovered a previously unknown and aesthetically distinctive ceramic tradition stretching back nearly 4000 years beyond the red-on-buff pottery which gave the site its early renown. Known chiefly from pottery found in burials, the ceramics from even the lowest levels exhibit an elegance, sophistication, and attention to decorative detail that far exceeds mere utilitarian needs. The funerary wares clearly served as an art medium” (29).
“Beyond cordmarking, the ancient potter used at one time or another appliqué, rocker stamping, combpricking, freehand painting and incising, and burnishing; often more than one technique was used per pot . . . The ongoing vitality and creativity of the ceramics made over the course of 4000 years at Ban Chiang make this site stand out in the region. No other site including [neighboring] Non Nok Tha has yet produced ceramics of comparable artistic variety in such quantity” (31).
Both pots were hand built using a coil method, and were burnished.
Left: Vessel, "Salmon" slip over "Virginia Red" clay, underglaze, and wax. 28 x 19.5 x 19.5 cm. Right: Vessel, "Carolina Buff" slip over "Virginia Red" clay, underglaze, and wax. 25 x 21 x 21 cm.
“Little is known about the everyday functions of Ban Chiang ceramics since most were recovered from funerary contexts and show few signs of wear. However the size and shape of these vessels are comparable to pots made in the Ban Chiang region today for steaming rice or cooking soups. Some of the funerary pots did contain rice, fish, or other animal bones presumably as food offerings” (64).
--Joyce C. White, Senior Research Scientist,
University of Pennsylvania Museum
Ban Chiang: Discovery of a Lost Bronze Age
Ceramics Today
“Within ceramics one still finds a somewhat tortured ambivalence between the ambition of being a meaningful contemporary artist functioning on the medium’s edge, and on the other hand, reflecting a love of the medium’s tradition” (358).
“Appropriation is aesthetically and ethically risky because it flirts with academicism, plagiarism, soft-core historicism, and is always just a nuance away from nostalgia and sentimental excess. These are exactly the forces Modernism sought to purge from the arts. But, tempered with sufficient irony and vision, this reconnection to the past can prove to be a rewarding provocative and perhaps even healing experience for the arts community” (359).
--Garth Clark, Ceramic Art Historian
“Ceramic History and the Avant-Garde”
Shards: Garth Clark on Ceramic Art
Above: Detail of roller
“Ceramic objects are made for particular contexts and are then used in various ways. Sometimes they are made primarily to serve some basic need such as cooking or storing and sometimes they appear to have a function, but are in fact prized for their decorative quality, their sentimental value or their status as prestige objects at a feast or in an art gallery or as exotic trophy from an overseas journey. In such an analysis there are no fixed meanings, the same object may function as a water pot in Africa and as a piece of house decoration in Europe. In both cases, the vessel is a signifier: it is given meaning when it is first made but, in turn, it is a site for the creation of new meaning” (4).
--Moira Vincentelli, Curator of Ceramics,
University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Women and Ceramics: Gendered Vessels
“Pottery is often seen as dirty and polluting and in some parts of the world this is reflected in the way such workers are viewed. In India, among certain groups, they belong to the lowest class--the Untouchables . . . Often a distinct caste in the sub-Saharan region of Africa, blacksmiths and potters are sometimes considered to have dangerous knowledge and magical powers” (14-15)
In Central and East Africa, “clay working is deeply infused with social meanings. Clay, clay pits and pots have secret powers and must be treated with respect. Ceremonies may be performed when extracting clay for the first time. Miniature pots are modeled and the potter dances round them intoning a ritual song. Thus she pays her respects to the clay that will be the basis of her work and make her a successful potter” (55).
--Moira Vincentelli, Curator of Ceramics,
University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Women Potters: Transforming Traditions
Ceramic History
“It is ironic that ceramics, the medium with the longest art history of any creative discipline (10,000 years as compared to painting’s mere 600 years), does not include the comprehensive study of ceramic history in its otherwise extensive educational system. We do not even have a textbook of substance for this purpose” (359).
“Our history offers a longer and broader view, is technically more complex, involves the cottage and not just the palace, has to be experienced by the hand and the eye because it is as much tactile as visual, and is rooted no matter how distantly or symbolically, in the egalitarianism of daily use. It encompasses the integration of three related disciplines: art, design, and architecture.
“We need a history that reveals why and how forms evolve and the social and cultural forces that went into their creation. We need a history that deals with the meaning of things, because simply put, we are all involved in either the making or the understanding of things. We need a history underpinned by aesthetic theory that is dedicated to the three-dimensional realm and that incorporates the relationship of painting and decoration to the 3D, the tactile and the utilitarian.
“We should not be corralled into the conventional structures of culture and time. We must have the flexibility to examine classes of objects, both high and low, across time, social, cultural and national boundaries” (361).
--Garth Clark, Ceramic Art Historian
“Ceramic History and the Avant-Garde”
Shards: Garth Clark on Ceramic Art
Ceramic Art Criticism
“A real disparity emerges if we turn from the respectable areas of fine art, painting and sculpture, to the maverick, ceramics” (368).
“What should we require from a ceramic arts critic today? First of all, most ceramists work with asides and other references to the traditions of materials, so a knowledge of ceramic art history is essential. Secondly, many ceramists also function within fine art mainstreams or on the fringe. The ceramic art historian should therefore also know contemporary art history in the broadest sense possible. And lastly, but by no means least, the critic requires that capacity to make abstract connections out of broadly based knowledge that is essential to all good commentators. Objectivity, intuition, and integrity--qualities not unlike those expected of the artists themselves--plays a pivotal role.
“Therefore I submit that we might think of the critic not as an ivory tower figure at a desk of The New York Times but suggest instead we recognize that a critical sensibility exists in every discerning eye. Each time you consciously applaud or reject a form or line, even in an everyday object, you are a critic. The more that critic sharpens his perceptions, the greater his value as teacher, communicator, or maker become” (369-370).
--Garth Clark, Ceramic Art Historian
“Commentary from 1977”
Shards: Garth Clark on Ceramic Art
The Ban Chiang Project is on exhibit from July 25- August 3 in the Alcove Gallery, 2nd Floor of the Fine Arts Building, George Mason University, Fairfax, Va