Notes about soil

core drilling / coring n. – is the process of drilling that extracts a cylindrical sample of concrete, rock or soil. It is sometimes used to install pipe or conduit in or through an existing concrete or masonry wall. Geological surveys use core drilling to extract soil and rock samples for analysis. In mining technique and applied geology, the extraction of rock samples (called cores) from the subsoil and, by extension, the direct surveying of the physical or chemical characteristics of the subsoil. core drilling [ca·ro·tàg·gio] n. – In mining and applied geology, the extraction of rock samples (called cores) from the subsurface and, by extension, the direct assessment of the physical or chemical characteristics of the subsurface.

The installation, with a total length of 18 meters, will be located in the Cortile Zanelli at Corso Giuseppe Mazzini 52/6, arranged to form horizontal lines on a metal structure. Divided into three equal sections, it is composed of cylindrical elements made using different techniques. The clays used for the body consist of various recycled high- and low-temperature clays, collected from various locations including the calanchi around Brisighella.
The core sample sections are in three different states: raw, fired with a bare surface, and others coated with glazes made from collected ashes, clays, rocks and minerals. The idea is to show the soil in its various stages of transformation: raw and dried, fired at a low temperature / at its optimal temperature / up to a high temperature to make it melt and become a vitreous surface.
In conclusion, the installation aims to reference the ceramicist’s need and approach to experimenting and developing new techniques and paths of exploration with materials sourced from the soil.

An artwork of Grazialba di Summa, Paola Nuovo Gómez and Juan Esteban Sandoval Arango.