{"id":4732,"date":"2018-07-15T09:38:17","date_gmt":"2018-07-15T08:38:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/simonfell.co.uk\/?post_type=portfolio&p=4732"},"modified":"2026-03-04T21:19:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T21:19:06","slug":"tank-family","status":"publish","type":"portfolio","link":"https:\/\/simonfell.co.uk\/index.php\/portfolio\/tank-family\/","title":{"rendered":"Tank family"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”111338″]<\/p>\n

\"TankPart glazed stoneware, largest unit of four l20cm x w10cm x h12cm<\/p>\n

Please find a short video about how this piece was made and some of the ideas raised by it in Tank Family<\/em> on IGTV<\/a> by Instagram (best viewed on mobile phone)[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”191318″]<\/p>\n

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Tank Family – Instagram Video<\/a> Transcript<\/span><\/h2>\n

This is a piece I made in about 2004, 2005.<\/span> Its called Tank Family.<\/span> So I hope you can see this<\/span> – <\/span>It\u2019s a series of tanks, cartoon tanks.<\/span> Slab built<\/span> tanks, cartoon tanks<\/span> In descending order of size.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah, so erm, they’re made of clay<\/span>. <\/span>They\u2019re slab built so<\/span> they’re made out of sheets of clay,<\/span> formed into cylinders<\/span> and stuck together with slip.<\/span> and also they\u2019re<\/span> covered in, they\u2019re made of buff coloured clay<\/span> so – fairly pale<\/span> and then there’s this gray, dark gray slip on top of them<\/span> and then they’re biscuited, so they’re fired once to 1000\u00ba degrees C.<\/span> and at that stage they’re sanded down<\/span> so that this, nice – this is the – this line<\/span>, <\/span>sorry, this line here.<\/span> This is the clay, the colour of the clay coming through.<\/span> and then they’re fired again<\/span> This bit is glazed, this little wedge.<\/span> The rest is left unglazed.<\/span> So then they’re fired to<\/span> stoneware temperature which is 1250\u00baC.<\/span> and so they’re very, solid, very hard.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah, so what I really want to talk about<\/span> here is the ideas.<\/span> The idea here is…I suppose the reason it\u2019s<\/span> a strong idea is cause it’s funny.<\/span> They have this ridiculous,<\/span> I don’t know, to me they look like little erm<\/span> little rubber ducks, all lined up in order of size,<\/span> so they’re a bit like the ducks you stick on the wall.<\/span> or erm.or like little toy yellow ducklings<\/span> or chickens I s’pose.<\/span><\/p>\n

I guess<\/span> the idea has a certain<\/span> strength which is one of the<\/span> reasons, one of the ways I choose what to make.<\/span> and I make things<\/span> because the idea is strong,<\/span> or it seems to strike a note,<\/span> and the thing I am playing with here is, is the cuteness<\/span> these things have this erm<\/span> self contained, you know like –<\/span> “Don’t I look just great” that kind of<\/span> feel to them which is<\/span> a ridiculous<\/span> kind of state in the long term<\/span>, <\/span>I mean it’s fine if your\u2019e<\/span> One or two years old,<\/span> or maybe several months old<\/span> and then after that it’s just bonkers<\/span> as an approach to life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah so –<\/span> That’s why I feel it’s worth making, oh<\/span> and<\/span> what I’m doing here, I am talking about my, intentions<\/span>, <\/span>you know, what I thought I was doing<\/span> when I made this<\/span>, <\/span>this piece.<\/span><\/p>\n

What anyone else thinks they’re about, it’s up to them<\/span>. <\/span>But I suppose that is the sign of a piece that\u2019s<\/span> worth doing, that it resonates with other people and they have their own<\/span> ideas about what, what the piece is about.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah so this is the, I hope this is the<\/span> first of a series of videos about my work<\/span> just to give you some insight into my thinking<\/span><\/p>\n

So take a look on the website<\/span> – <\/span>this piece is on there – I think<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sign up to the newsletter for news of<\/span> these videos and<\/span> anything else<\/span><\/p>\n

Obviously we’re in lockdown at the moment so there’s no – shows going on really<\/span> but I guess that will happen in due course<\/span><\/p>\n

So thanks for watching and listening<\/span>, <\/span>Take care, <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_height_percent=”0″ override_padding=”yes” h_padding=”7″ top_padding=”2″ bottom_padding=”2″ overlay_alpha=”50″ gutter_size=”3″ column_width_percent=”100″ shift_y=”0″ z_index=”0″][vc_column column_width_percent=”100″ align_horizontal=”align_center” gutter_size=”3″ overlay_alpha=”50″ shift_x=”0″ shift_y=”0″ shift_y_down=”0″ z_index=”0″ medium_width=”0″ mobile_width=”0″ width=”1\/1″][vc_button button_color=”color-wayh” border_width=”0″ link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fp%2FB_4eDQLF5Td%2F||target:%20_blank|” button_color_type=”uncode-palette” uncode_shortcode_id=”352936″]See the video on Instagram[\/vc_button][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”111338″] Part glazed stoneware, largest unit of four l20cm x w10cm x h12cm Please find a short video about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":70506,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"portfolio_category":[126],"class_list":["post-4732","portfolio","type-portfolio","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","portfolio_category-contemporary-ceramics"],"yoast_head":"\nTank family - Artworks by Simon Fell<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A group of four matt gray caricature tanks in descending order of size, each one supported by a small glazed wedge. 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