Stephen Reader (asker) Jul 9, 2016:

Erratum to final comment/choice ... meant to say: ... and the gist behind them seems to be *artifice* in your positive sense.
PS it also avoids "International Art English" (which see written on online - haven't the URL to hand just now).

Stephen Reader (asker) Jul 4, 2016:

Orla, yes, no need to apologise surely, this is the track. Doesn't undo all of the foregoing either (just some). Artist is Markus Karstiess. Yours too? Admittedly there are a no. of 'workers in clay' & not all of them 'decorative'.
Best
Stephen

oa_xxx (X) Jul 4, 2016:

@asker oh sorry, I didnt see your latest comments Stephen!

oa_xxx (X) Jul 4, 2016:

If I have the right artist: 'I do like the continuously [sic] transformation of the material clay/earth. From something that most people call “dirt” to a highly artificial artefact.
All the works are made quite rough and direct, using my body, the studio floor or ancient rocks. [...] Throughout the transformation of the hardening by fire and the covering in glazes like platinum you can still feel the soft soil." a quote from the artist in an interview on tractionmagazine.co.uk - I assume that he spoke in English hence the non-native mistakes rather than it being a dodgy translation - just thought the sentiment was interesting and relevant to the context here - and "an intricate, large-scale wall relief which the artist cast directly from his studio floor, its elaborate beauty belying its humble origins." from a review - again this idea of transforming something "humble", "natural" into something more elaborate, artistic, abstract (ie not natural) - turning it into a "work of art".

Stephen Reader (asker) Jul 4, 2016:

So I've opted for this, & all of you've contrib'd Refining the objects by means of coating the surfaces further underscores their nature as conscious art constructs.

((thus avoiding that Artification, which I don't yet see a reason to encourage, will Academe forgive me?))

Stephen Reader (asker) Jul 4, 2016:

Removal (& elevation) from 'craft'... seems to be a non-specialist lang. synonym I'd venture for the definition of 'artification' (which I find ghaaastly) as used here: http://www.contempaesthetics.org/newvolume/pages/article.php... . I wish it'd been 'artifice' in that pos. sense (thx again, Armorel et al.)!

Armorel Young Jul 4, 2016:

I'm not convinced ... ... that "artifice" is necessarily disparaging. My version of the Oxford Dict. defines "artifice" as 1. a clever device; a contrivance; 2. cunning/an instance of this; 3. skill, dexterity. In that third sense the word isn't disparaging at all.

gangels (X) Jul 4, 2016:

Doesn't the tenor of the text..... point toward "zweckentfremdet"? Artifice has a derogatory connotion a la Trick or Kunstgriff

TonyTK Jul 4, 2016:

Might it not be ... ... "artificialised" in the sense of "Verkünstlichung"?
(Although I also like "Armorel's take on it.)