Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Kenny Sing | Episode 568
After spending two years as a structural engineering student at Cal Poly State University, Kenny Sing transferred to the Arts department where he focused advertising design and teaching ceramics on the side. Since graduating graphic design remains Kenny’s primary occupation in San Francisco, where he is also extremely dedicated to his art of ceramics at Clay By the Bay SF Pottery School.
SPONSORS
You can help support the show!
Number 1 brand in America for a reason. Skutt.com
For all your ceramic needs go to Georgies.com
What do you say to people who say using technology is a shortcut for people who can’t really do it?
Well at the end of the day it takes skill to use technology and I think that there is a mindset of not using technology because you don’t want to use another tool to aid you in your work, but I would argue that we use a lot of tools in our work, right? We usually create tools to solve problems vs creating problems in order to figure out what tools we need. So it is helpful to use the tools at hand, if there is a learning curve to learn those tools don’t be afraid of them because having to learn is not cheating. Using technology can seemingly make things easier once you’ve mastered that technology. You know, we all had to learn how to use the pottery wheel. There was a learning curve there and once we mastered it we really appreciated that we knew how to use it and we really appreciate that we have that tool. I said this earlier, don’t use a tool to do something that something else can do easier. We want to work smarter not harder. It’s about working smarter.
Is adding technology to your art similar to adding your painterly skills to ceramics? Is it similar? Is that the way you would look at it?
Again, adding technology to my work isn’t about I want to create work to have a conversation about technology. It’s just that the work that I want to create requires technology. And so I wouldn’t draw a thousand straight lines with a ruler and a compass when I can use a computer. And I wouldn’t use a computer to try and emulate a charcoal sketch. So if the end result is a charcoal sketch I am not going to use a computer. I doesn’t make any sense. I am going to use some charcoal and some textured paper. If the end result is something very architectural and very structured I am going to use the best tool that I can to create that end result.
Do you feel like people who say that it is then not true art are missing the mark or misunderstanding?
No, you’ve got to empathize with that mindset because at that point you are dealing with what someone’s definition of art is. Art is creating a reaction and sometimes that reaction is positive and sometimes it is negative. Sometimes it is very neutral and a lot of people’s reaction to technological art is pretty neutral, right? They don’t really see technology as art or technology as a way to create art and I totally appreciate that mindset. I don’t think those people are missing the mark I just think that they might be missing out on potentially having technological experiences. I don’t think it’s bad that artists like me are being pushed to go beyond that mindset to get people who maybe have that opinion about technology and maybe look at my work, the final product without seeing the process and potentially not see the technology. That’s my goal, to maybe not see the computer and all that in the finished piece.
How do you respond to the “haters”?
They definitely exist. I think the question I get the most is, Why do it if a machine could do it? I kind of argue it can’t do it and even if it could do it, I am doing it faster than a machine could do it. I had a lot of conversations with industrial designers and industrial engineers that I know and I said, Okay, here’s a bowl that I created and I’ve gotten some feedback on this and I’ve gotten some feedback on why I do this by hand. How long would it take you as an industrial engineer to make this with a machine? And the way you are doing it is way faster and way easier. So I think usually people’s opinions about, the “haters”, is usually just kind of wrong opinion about what can be created with technology. It is a little bit of ignorance. I hate to use that word, but it is a little bit of ignorance.
Do you find it ironic that the haters would dis you about using technology for creating the art when they are actually observing the art on a technology that helps spread the word about the art?
No, definitely not. Again, technology is such a broad term. Someone that uses an app might call that tech and someone is using a 3D printer will call that tech and it is just totally two different things at this point, you know. I think the hypocritical side of things for me is that everything is technology. I don’t like to use the word technology as much, I like to use the word innovation. So we are all just creating innovation. We are all innovating in our own process and if you are not, you should be. And we are where we are in the world because of innovation and because of innovative thinkers.
What do you friends think of you working with ceramics as much as you do?
Well , I didn’t grow up with a lot of close friends that do ceramics, a lot of people kind of don’t understand it. They have just never tried it. And I think when I was getting into ceramics at the age I was it wasn’t a cool thing to do. I wasn’t a cool pottery kid, you know. You are the weird pottery kid. I think most people tend to lump my ceramics into my Instagram following which I don’t really like. Any ceramics is kind of getting mainstream now. More and more people know about it. I think my friends are just glad that I can take this thing that a lot of people have tried and kind of help popularize it. I would say that my friends think it is cool but they don’t really understand it.
Book
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
Contact
Instagram: @turn.studio