9. Nose Cups
Nose cups are simple cups made from fired clay and glaze. The technique for making the figurative nose is simple and accessible, so that even an untrained sculptor can immediately fashion a nose that looks like a nose. This approach exemplifies Daniel Dewar and Grégory Gicquel’s non-specialist and open attitude to craft.
The nose cups were produced in series in a workshop with young people from S27’s group Die Kochinsel. The workshop was led by Theo Dietz under instruction of Daniel Dewar.
From tapestry weaving to granite carving, from chain sawing to firing ceramics, Daniel Dewar and Grégory Gicquel’s artistic lexicon creates a joyful— albeit erudite—hodgepodge of types. Though the artists constantly quote pop culture references, thereby casually shrugging off the prevailing aesthetic canons and good taste, they do, however, take their place in the history of sculpture, from its ancient origins to the post-industrial era. The motifs they use throughout their work borrow as much from medieval recumbent effigies as from a form of abstraction developed by certain artists in the latter half of the 20th century. Accordingly, the series Mixed Ceramics (2011) bears resemblances to some of Arman’s archeological sculptures: In both cases, the texture of the found objects indicates a common interest in forms of sedimentation, thus producing a collusion of temporalities.
They are represented by Galerie Loevenbruck in Paris and are the recipient of the Prix Marcel Duchamp in 2012.
Kochinsel is part of BILDUNGSMANUFAKTUR, a project by S27 – Art and Education. It is a cooking workshop with the aim to offer a stable routine to destabilised, mostly displaced youth and to help participants gain confidence, develop a sense of community, improve their soft and practical skills, and eventually prepare for vocational training in the field of gastronomy and catering.
Theo Dietz (DE, born 1996) is a multidisciplinary artist and arts educator working across art and design. His practice focuses on education, ecological and social responsibility, and the search for playful responses to serious questions, bridging theory, visual culture, and hands-on making.