Introduction — Setting the context
In this series of challenges, each form acts as an exercise in observation as much as in technique. After the first challenge, where visual tension was at the heart of the work, the second seemed almost too simple to be interesting: a cylinder.
A straight form. No variation. No flourish.
At first glance, it seemed ordinary. But as is often the case in ceramics, the simplest forms are the ones that demand the greatest attention. This challenge is part of a structured approach aimed at refining the reading of forms and developing a more precise muscle memory.
The intention behind the challenge
The challenge consisted of throwing a cylinder that remains a cylinder until the very end.
No belly.
No shoulder.
No narrowing.
A straight wall, from the base to the rim.
The only freedom allowed lay in the details: the rim and the foot. A constraint that appears simple, but that requires constant attention.
A matter of observation
A cylinder seems ordinary… until the moment one attempts to make several that are alike. Then every millimeter matters. A slight opening at the top, a base just a little wider, a line barely tilted — everything becomes visible.
This work made me realize that consistency is never automatic. It is built, pull after pull, with patience.
And paradoxically, the simpler the form, the more it reveals variation.
What I found difficult
This challenge was not difficult in a dramatic sense. There was no extreme tension, no unpredictable form. But it demanded something else: consistency.
Repeating the same form several times requires a different kind of attention. It is no longer about inventing, but about reproducing.
This shift in posture — moving from exploration to repetition — calls for a particular discipline.
Where I worked around the boredom
At first, I admit I found this challenge a bit ordinary.
A cylinder, really?
Then a practical situation gave it meaning. I had been asked to make tall cylindrical cups. What once felt abstract suddenly became useful. The challenge stopped being a theoretical exercise and became a response to a real need.
It is often in moments like these that exercises reveal their true value.
Letting the form speak
A straight form offers great freedom for what may come later: carving, texture, or a smooth surface. It acts as a neutral canvas.
But before adding anything, the form must stand on its own.
Without decoration.
Without distraction.
A process taking shape
Even if this challenge seemed simple, it established important foundations.
It allowed me to work on regularity, repetition, and consistency of gesture — essential qualities for all the forms to come.
It also served as a bridge between exploration and utility. What begins as an exercise can sometimes become an object meant to be used in daily life.
And perhaps that is where ceramics becomes most alive.
Presentation of the photographs
Here are some of the cylinders created as part of this challenge.
They reflect a quiet but essential moment of learning in the process.
Some are very close to one another. Others still carry the small variations that reveal the gesture.
And somewhere along these straight lines, the idea of a useful object began to take shape.
