Gill, JohnSikora, LindaSmythe, MeghanReijnders, AntonSouther, EricKelleher, MattWillard, AderoHopp, JohnathanMcConnell, WalterChénard, Marianne2021-07-262021-07-262021-05http://hdl.handle.net/10829/24566Thesis completed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Fine Arts degree in the School of Art and Design at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Alfred, NY.Ceramic embodies water, earth, fire, and air in each of its transforming stages. I explore these aspects separately, giving them time and space to act; to later observe the relations which manifests between elements. I use natural materials that are either exploited or modified by humans. The additive process of foreign material to a natural environment demands the need for balance and respect for the ecosystem. My actions engage drawing that question the relations between the non-human and the human, bringing forward the metaphor of the cycle, a sensibility to the issues of climate change, and to the pursuit of global environmental sustainability. Through my research, I explore gestures, natural elements, and matters that intra-define one another. My artwork attempts to dissolve boundaries accentuating the generative and resilience of the material forms with which social actors interact. I seek the relationship between the perceiver and the perceived to create a moment where natural elements and human experience are intertwined, where responsibility and attachment coexist, and where embody entails disappearance.38 pagesen-USThe author has granted Alfred University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other rights.MFA thesisCeramic ArtEarth ArtTransformationEnvironmentPhotographyThesis