Media: Clay and Ceramics
Population: Adults to Older Adults
Condition: Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders
This time, I began with a hand-size ball of white air-dry clay. It was the last of the air-dry clay I purchased some time ago and I wanted to use it up before making or ordering more. I formed it by squeezing and rolling into a snake and then began pushing it together in the general shape of a figure. It was rough-hewn at first, but through further manipulation I was able to smooth and refine the shape into something that resonated with my understanding of the trauma experienced by clients I worked with at my outpatient rehabilitation practicum. The patients there were adults and older adults who had trauma based on physical, cognitive injuries as well. The ETC can be employed with this population and material to assess and treat on multiple levels by focusing on the sensory/kinesthetic level of the physical clay body, the representation of mood states or objects in the world on the affective/perceptual level, and using problem solving/skill or personal symbology on the cognitive/symbolic level. Depending on the cognitive and motor capacity of the client, all levels of the ETC could be explored.
I approached this material knowing that I wanted to focus on the human body and wanted to use the entire amount of clay that I had available. As the process unfolded, I found that the most intuitive way I could use the entire amount was by using a modified coiling technique to form the raw material into something that felt like a figure. Ultimately, the finite amount of material meant that the figure was physically incomplete, as we might think about the typical body. Smoothing and refining the figure to have a face, chest, and incomplete arms began to evoke memories of the truncated fashion in which I “completed” my practicum, and the physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges faced by the patients there. Once the clay was dry, I realized it was soft enough to etch with a rounded metal stylus. I accentuated some of the existing artifacts of the formation process and then a small piece broke off. I am not yet sure if I will return to this piece in the future to paint the surface of the figure, or if I will repair the broken pieces.
