Wild Clay Project
Introduction
As part of the Wild Clay Project, participants were invited to engage with the raw, untamed materiality of local clay, exploring its potential as both an artistic medium and a theoretical metaphor. The project began with a thought-provoking lounge lecture by Pia Seidel, who introduced the concept of "wild clay" — clay sourced directly from the earth, unprocessed and unpredictable. Seidel reflected on how working with wild clay reconnects the maker to the landscape, to natural processes, and to the uncontrollable forces of nature that shape both material and meaning.
This introduction was enriched by theoretical insights from Stacy Alaimo’s influential book Undomesticated Ground: Recasting Nature as Feminist Space (2000). Alaimo argues that nature, historically framed as passive and feminine — "Mother Earth" or "Mother Nature" — has often been used to symbolically confine women to domestic, controlled roles. Feminist theory, for this reason, has long been cautious in its engagement with “nature.” However, Alaimo boldly proposes to reclaim nature as an active, resistant feminist space — wild, undomesticated, and irreducible to human control.
This framework offered a rich lens through which to view the Wild Clay Project: as an act of reclaiming material agency, embracing the unpredictability of the earth, and challenging the boundary between the "cultured" and the "natural." Through sourcing, preparing, and shaping wild clay, participants not only learned new ceramic techniques but also entered into a dialogue with feminist ecological thought — making the material itself part of a wider critical and creative inquiry.
A highlight of the project was a two-day field trip to Nijmegen, where students dug up their own clay from the landscape — directly engaging with the raw, living earth. This excursion also included a visit to Fabrikaat, a local art initiative that focuses on sustainable, site-specific practices. The experience emphasized the importance of material awareness: understanding clay not as a neutral, ready-made commodity, but as a substance with its own history, characteristics, and connection to place.
The Wild Clay Project was realized in collaboration with artist and teacher Samantha Thole and ceramic artist and workshop expert Benedetta Pompelli. Samantha Thole is known for her explorations of materiality and craft within the context of contemporary art education, while Benedetta Pompelli brings expertise in traditional and experimental ceramic processes, with a focus on community engagement and sustainable practices. Together, they guided the students through the careful process of refining the dug-up clay — washing, sieving, drying, and kneading it — in a series of workshops designed to deepen the participants’ understanding of the material’s properties and potential.
By working directly with earth-sourced clay, the students cultivated patience, sensitivity, and respect for the slow, unpredictable rhythms of natural materials. The project thus became not only a technical learning process but also an exercise in ecological thinking — foregrounding the intimate relationship between maker, material, and environment.
