lucia pizzani

Research at LaunchPadLab
Artist text

I started researching about the marks made on porcelain pieces as a response to the history of the region, Limoges in particular. These stamps made to the pieces are not normally visible, as they are underneath it, hidden, and at the same time they are there to claim authorship. I found an inventory made in 1927 titled "Compagnon de L'amateur de Porcelaine" that offered an alphabetically organized list of marks that made me think of ancient and universal symbols.

Travelling even further back in time, as the area is rich in both medieval and prehistoric traces, I explored signs and symbols that adorned very early pottery, a fact that marked the first expression of material culture. One of the most important books I used for this process of research and produccion was "Le Langage de la Deese" by Marija Gimbutas.

I have been working with clay for more than 10 years and at LaunchpadLab I continued the sculpture making but I drew on the clay for the fist time, trying to replicate these powerful symbols and after that I ended up using the clay itself to draw on paper. Im presenting a mix of three dimensional work that overlaps with the work on paper, they mix on a big wall of the farm, and in a corner upstairs a big clay drawing that depicts a snake is accompanied by floor sculptures of prehistoric Venuses.

Left: Early french pottery (Musée D’Angouleme)/ Right: Lascaux IV