The Power of Many

By Lilianne Milgrom

Creating something out of clay is awesome, whether it’s a functional bowl or a figurative sculpture. Every time I take a new ceramic piece out of the kiln I fondle it, feeling its texture, admiring the glaze and awed anew by clay’s intrinsic ability to shape itself to the will of its maker.

Now imagine the impact that ceramic objects can achieve when they are presented in multiples of thousands. The result can be visually and conceptually stunning. Take for example China’s terracotta soldiers that date back over 2300 years. More than 8000 terracotta soldiers and horses were buried in Emperor Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum to accompany him and protect him in the afterlife.

Several contemporary ceramic artists have taken this idea of multiples even further. The Tower of London was recently the site of a truly spectacular installation of 888,246 ceramic flowers by artist Paul Cummins.

Each poppy commemorates one of the dead claimed by WWI. Over 5 million people are estimated to have seen this unforgettable cascade of poppies that from a distance resembles a river of blood. Now that’s what I call the Power of Many.

You can check out more by Lilianne at her Art and Beyond blog.