Ken Adams
The Experimental Potter
Ken is a Greco-British ceramicist and abstract photographer, currently based in Sukawa, Gunma prefecture, Japan. A passionate experimentalist, he constantly aims to push the boundaries of his artistic practice.
Drawn to unpredictable outcomes, Ken takes calculated risks to make room for the unexpecteld in much of what he tries to achieve with clay. As a result, failure is commonplace: at the end of the day, there is often no beautiful pot to admire, exhibit or sell. More likely, if gravity has its way, just a pile of tortuously deformed or fragmented porcelain to clean up on the kiln shelf. But in his mind, there is no such thing as failure, only opportunities to learn, and luckily there have been many.
His photographic interests lie in capturing serendipitous effects. Recently in particular, the visual impact of changing light, wind and waves on water reflections and submerged objects. Digital pattern generation through image manipulation (for example, of city nightscape motion blur images) is also close to his heart. Ken is also rather fond of his Sony camera's posterization filter, and is currently experimenting with VivaCut's transition and VFX glitch special effects.
Ken graduated from Bristol University with Biology degree and then pursued a thirty five year career in finance, analysing and investing in global markets. His scientific training and subsequent research experience have been instrumental in pursuing his ceramic interests, given the importance of experimental design, careful observation, critical analysis and meticulous record keeping. As for the relevance of a career in finance, navigating global markets can be a very humbling experience, requiring mental agility and resilience - working with clay is no different!