Tuesday, September 23, 2003

Speaking of spam.... Here's the definative spam mug. (Spam Brand Merchandise.) This one is not ceramic, like the other mugs we looked at. However, due to the crass nature of spam, I can think of no better medium for the message than glow in the dark plastic. I've often wondered if we take the idea that a certain ceramic aesthetic is derived from common ware: The Chinese utensils these (Japanese) tea masters valued were not celadon and tenmoku tea bowls of the highest quality, but rather the lower ranking export celadon ware and rough Korean tea bowls.... The tea masters would enjoy the fresh and unaffected sensation resulting from the use of such items. JAPANESE POTTERY AND TRADITION Burlington Art Center HASEBE Mitsuhiko (Chief Curator, Crafts Gallery, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo)(1988) How come simple plastic cups are not revered in this modern age? (Melted plastic cups courtesy of the former Tacoma Pizza and Pipes.) Something I will be sure to explore later... 10:53:01 PM