Casting Memories by Kasia Kaczmarek

Join in conversation with Kasia Kaczmarek; Minerva Art Academy Alumna, who studied Design and majored in Product Design. Kasia defines herself as designer and ceramicist, and is currently doing an artist residency at ROAM. On a sunny day, surrounded by wood and clay, we talk about the past, present and future; which happen to be the core themes in her current project ‘Casting Memories’.

Great to meet you Kasia! My first question is, who are you as a maker? 
- Oh, wow. I'd say I'm first a designer. But I feel like I don't really fit in the typical designer box. I sometimes merge into fine arts and then also ceramics, but that's also product design. I also don't really like to define myself because then I think I am putting myself in a box. So I just kind of want to be...


Whatever the day brings you?
- Yeah, exactly. 


That's a nice way of looking at it. That way you can also just change whenever you want. Or take on another kind of project. 
- Exactly. This year I might be a designer. Next year I'm, I don't know, an actor or something. I don't know. We'll see.


And what was the moment that you decided to pursue an artistic path?
- Well, I think throughout my life that was a big thing that I was known to be good at, so then I just kept on going. It was a way of expressing myself. In the beginning I was mostly doing paintings and 2D works, and then after high school I went to graphic design school in Stuttgart, Germany. From there I was like: I kind of want to try more 3D work. So I just decided to come to Minerva to study product design because it was a bit out of my comfort zone, but I did really enjoy it. 


And how did you find Minerva?
- I had a lot of friends studying in the Netherlands, and so I looked up Product Design programs in the Netherlands. And then I liked the idea that Minerva had all of the majors for design in the first year. So that was cool. Because the other ones were like, okay, jumping in to product design immediately. And I wasn't fully sure if I wanted to.


And what moment at Minerva had like an impact on you as an artist? Do you have a specific moment? 
- I'd say definitely Switchboard. That's semester six, I think. It’s… where you get to really discover your own work, and what you want to do. So either you do a minor, internship, study abroad, whatever. I decided to do an internship at Cor Unum, which is a ceramic production company that produces a lot of ceramics for dutch designers. I actually started learning about wild clay there, and from then on I was like, oh, I'm so in love with this material because it's full of surprises and you're not going to know what will come out, even though the clay is from the same area. Also I’ve learned a lot about slip casting there. Then it really came together in my graduation project. And yeah, that was my favorite time. 

That's really cool! So, I see a lot of materials around me, and am participating in ‘Casting Memories’ in a bit. Tell me a bit about this project. 
- Okay, so casting memories is a participatory drinking ritual which guides the participants through the past, present and future. It really involves all your senses like touch, smell, and taste, and it allows you to connect with each other and with yourself in a very short amount of time.

I use wild clay for the cups and the vessels in this ritual because wild clay is quite symbolic of us all, of humans. Clay is full of history and also a bit unpredictable; just like people. So it’s reflective of that. If you use store-bought clay then it's very processed and might lack in character, so I thought this wild clay was the perfect medium. It is, as I said, unpredictable material, full of impurities, but that is what makes it alive. Clay is also quite reflective of time, and this ritual has a lot to do with time.


Where do you see your practice heading in the coming years?
- Well I'm very interested in food and beverage, and just creating experiences through that. But I don't have that many connections there yet. So I really hope to like, expand into that world and perhaps make some sort of experience with a chef or a mixologist. Working with somebody like that and then having the knowledge that I have, as well as theirs, and making things together; that that would be perfect. 


That sounds really exciting. Final question: do you have anything to share with prospective or current Minerva students? Maybe people who don’t really know their place yet?
- Yeah, well, I feel like everyone goes through doubts in studying art. I did for sure. And I think it's really important to trust yourself. Even if you're getting feedback that’s just not that great, I would say, really stick to your gut. During my graduation year, I also really was affected by feedback. But in the end, I just was very stubborn and decided that I know what I'm doing and I was going to keep on going. That’s what I would like to tell them. 

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Come and join

From 15 September to 17 October, Kasia Kaczmarek will be Artist in Residence at ROAM. With her graduation project ‘Casting Memories’, she delves into material, memory and sensory experience. Visit ROAM until October 17th or join in ‘Casting Memories’. For more information, see Kasia Kaczmarek's Instagram.

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Colofon 

Photography: Daniek Snijder
Artist in Residence: Kasia Kaczmarek 
Interview: Sophie de Roode