Cross Lypka
tombs and ignition
tombs and ignitions is a collaborative ceramic sculpture by artists Tyler Cross and Kyle Lypka. The work was translated by Kyle Lypka from Tyler Cross’s original drawing into three dimensions by coil building upwards. Lypka chose to coil build instead of using slabs because, although very flat and geometric, he believed that the form would benefit from the more organic technique of coil building, which after drying and firing tends to twist and pull, adding a sort of paradoxical swing and motion to the work’s angularity. The artists are attracted to the inherent resistance to perfect symmetry that hand building with clay provides. Lypka added two carved components, “pools” which have a carved channel connecting them. The artists, together, decided to fill the pools with glass which was fired over its usual range so it would completely liquify. This element adds a suggestion of ritual and vitality even as it alludes to the classic image and function of the ceramic vessel.
tombs and ignitions is an exceptional example of Lypka and Cross’s current practice, in which process, material, and personality merge to create works of startling originality, uncanny form, and social commentary. The work’s peculiar form and surprising materiality speaks eloquently to the potency of non-alienated, non-digitized artistic practice.
Tyler Cross’s process begins with line drawings on gridded paper, simple sketches with the character of symbols or glyphs. Kyle Lypka selects from these drawings to create three-dimensional translations into clay. It is with the surface treatment that the artists fully collaborate, coming to agreement on diverse aesthetic options and focusing on ways to most compellingly accentuate the spirit of the forms. Their approaches range from very simple glazes to complex, multi-fired layers to unusual media such as glass. The duo focuses on creating tangible objects as a means to combat technology-driven trends that reproduce alienation, digitization, and dematerialization.