SPLIT ENGINEERING

The Split Engineering Series consists of eight ceramic sculptures. Each work has three legs and two or three heads, presenting an anthropomorphic form that deliberately resists identification with a specific species. This ambiguity creates a moment of visual confusion for the viewer, where the familiar body is disrupted by multiplicity. Some figures suggest grace and the potential for movement, as seen in Split Engineering VI, while others feel firmly grounded and stable, such as Split Engineering I. The split at the top of each sculpture operates both conceptually and formally, representing independence and unity simultaneously. The heads are organic and expressive, often carrying sexual or bodily references that emphasize vitality and emotional presence. To situate each figure within its environment, every sculpture rests on its own base, made from either natural stone, as in Split Engineering II, or clay, as in Split Engineering V. The sculptures are hand-built using clay coils, allowing for an intuitive, organic construction process that responds to the at times precarious balance of the three-legged forms. Surface treatments vary throughout the series. Terra sigillata, a refined slip developed in Roman times, is frequently used and burnished to create a smooth, buttery surface (Split Engineering V). Underglaze appears in works such as Split Engineering VI, while texture is introduced selectively, most notably in the legs of Split Engineering III. Viewed collectively, the series functions as a family of forms that celebrates joy, diversity, and variation within a shared structural language.

SUSAN LISBIN

SUSAN LISBIN