Pair of Shoes ca. 1700
The Netherlands, Tin-glazed Earthenware with Enamel Decoration
How Can We Be Biased About ceramics?
Blue-and-white dishware has many different origin stories. What comes to mind when you see a set of shoes like the ones to the left?
Did you notice the blue pigments associated with China?
Did you notice the shoe style popularized in British fashion?
Did you read the label and see they were made in the Netherlands?
We each view ceramics through a different lens. We each bring different levels of knowledge to this space.
Each of us unknowingly interact with blue-and-white ceramics with some level of bias. This project defines bias as the following:
Bias: the preconceived notions that we contain that we do not actively think about but that inform our positioning on objects
This definition differs from what you find in the dictionary, in this way a new definition better lends itself to the digital resource. This project aims to begin the process of uprooting any preconceived notions we have about the most mundane types of objects, such as our own dishware. Seemingly straightforward, we each carry with us narratives that characterize the objects we find in our local museums. How do we find these biases within ourselves?
It is important to note that this digital resource does not bring attention to every type of bias that can be found within the world of blue-and-white ceramics. However, it intends to begin the broader internal conversations we can have within ourselves that extends beyond just blue-and-white ceramics, into the general realm of art.
Common Biases Found in Blue-and-White Ceramic Studies.
Euro-centrism Thinking
- Much of the academic literature overemphasizes Europe’s role in the story of blue-and-white ceramics
- Credits European countries for the popularization and commercialization of ceramics
A Linear Development
- Incorrect narrative that states there was only one way transfers of knowledge, goods, or techniques occurring
- Puts an emphasis on the trade centers which decentralizes anything not happening in the singular location of interest
Export vs. Local Artists
- In each country of interest there were artists who were creating ceramics to be exported and artists making ceramics for the local people
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