Anetta Mona Chișa

Maramureș Residency

20 June – 20 July

Săcel artistic residency was a remarkable experience. Located in the heart of Maramureș, the stay there allowed artists to delve deeply into various artistic techniques (textile, ceramics, woodwork) and to create memorable connections with local artisans and fellow artists.

Both the villagers and the artists in residency were highly curious, communicative and creative. A vibrant community formed, facilitating the exchange of experiences and ideas, generating numerous contacts for future collaborations. The atmosphere of collegiality and mutual support made working on the individual projects a pleasurable, smooth experience

I focused on creating ceramic objects under the careful guidance of the ceramist Ilie Mihali. One of the most interesting experiences (even before I started working on the artwork itself) was assisting in the construction of a traditional ceramic kiln, a process that combines knowledge, skills and experimentation. Creating a wood-fired kiln is a balance of elements, requiring a deep understanding of the materials used, heat transfer, combustion, airflow, and thermal expansion.

I managed to create two ceramic objects inspired by molecular chemistry. Although these sculptures, with their biomorphic contours, can have many associative readings, the starting point was the model of a nitrogen molecule. Molecular nitrogen (N2), composed of two nitrogen atoms bonded by a triple covalent bond (N≡N), is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that makes up 78% of Earth’s atmosphere, making it the most abundant chemical species in air. The idea of working with an invisible and imperceptible molecule, yet so omnipresent and fundamental to life on Earth, was a major artistic challenge.

I tried to transpose this stable yet immaterial molecule into a physical, tangible clay model. The process of creating this work involved exploring and visualizing a diatomic molecule shape in a perceptible solid form. Fascinated by the idea of transmutation at extreme temperatures, I looked closer into how the process of atomization by splitting the N2 molecule into 2 N atoms is described and carried on. I found some antithetical similarities with the process by which clay minerals and nitrogen molecules undergo chemical structural changes during firing. Firing ceramics involves exposing materials to temperatures of around 1000 degrees Celsius. This temperature has a transfigurative effect, facilitating profound structural and chemical changes. Clay particles create bonds and fuse together, allowing atoms to rearrange into new configurations. During the firing the clay body densifies, reducing porosity, increasing strength (sintering), and finally becoming cemented. On the other end, the transformation of an N2 molecule also occurs only at very high temperatures, in the thousands of degrees Celsius. Here the molecules breaks down, atoms disconnect from each other, becoming reactive single nitrogen atoms that can form new compounds. I entitled my two objects “Broken Triple Bond,” a reference to a transformed N2 molecule, with the bonds between atoms dissociated. At the end of the residency, an exhibition curated by Marie Maertens was organized at the Săcel Cultural House, bringing together both the local community and international participants. All the works were inspired by the rural life, crafts, and traditional techniques of textiles, ceramics, sculpture, and painting. Each artist approached the local context through celebrating traditions, updating subjects, reflecting differences.