Jochen Rüth

Ceramicist

©J. Rüth

©Cara Irina Wagner

©J. Rüth

The natural forces of decay

Jochen surpasses the traditional material limits
He recreates the natural aesthetic of decay
He combines intention with spontaneity

Through his interest in sculpture, Jochen Rüth found his way to working with clay while still in school, “I made my first hand shaped bowls and sculptural objects”. From 1981 to 1985 he had the opportunity to gain experience in three different ceramic workshops and ever since, he has been fascinated by ceramics, the closeness to the elements, playing with earth and fire. Jochen recreates decay and weathering by taming the elements, and using them to create striking visual effects. A traditional education in ceramics would have been too limiting to his creativity and therefore was incompatible with his urge to experiment. Since 1986 he has followed an unorthodox way of making.

Interview

©J. Rüth

©J. Rüth

How would you describe your approach?: I like to call my way of working “guided chance”. I am always surprised by the results and fascinated by the transformation of matter in the fire. If the fired sculptures are indistinguishable from objects found in nature, I am satisfied.
How do you recreate natural effects?: Going beyond the limits of materials makes it possible for me to carry out natural weathering processes in fast motion. For example, working on wet clay with a gas flame will provoke cracks and splintering as they appear in nature under great pressure.
What attracts you to nature?: I am particularly fascinated by the surfaces of rocks and stones as they appear in nature through erosion, weathering and lichen growth. The aspect of the fragmentary is important to me, as it refers to transience, transformation and dissolution.
Why are you interested in decay?: I think that a very special aesthetic can be found in processes of decay - be it in withering leaves, rusting metals, rotting wood or crumbling house facades. The beauty of the ephemeral can also be found in the Japanese aesthetic concept “Wabi Sabi”.

Jochen Rüth is an expert artisan: he began his career in 1986