For further processing, foreign bodies are sieved out of the clay and water is added to the dry pieces of clay. If the clay is too wet (if there has been a lot of rain), water must be removed from it. The homemade clay is then allowed to "rest" for a while before it is processed further.
The artist duo Priska Engelhardt and Patrick Will would like to explore the hidden world of natural and wild resources with the participants. From their point of view, the interesting questions and things are right underfoot or often next to it: Like small plants between pavement slabs, overgrown gardens between houses or forgotten ponds on the edge of a village. These places are to be found in Augustusburg, samples taken and a collection created for a clay workshop in the Lehngericht.
As freelance artists, they proceed in a similar way. They look for exciting stories and background information on the internet, on the street or from friends. Sometimes they already know at the beginning what they want to create from this research - a drawing, an installation, a film or a text. Sometimes, however, they don't know. Then they explore whether the research can show a suitable form of themselves or consider what their strengths are:
Priska is particularly good at firing earth into extremely solid and unique objects. To do this, however, the right clay must first be found and prepared. It would also be possible to go to a shop and buy clay, but in the long run there would be a lack of discoveries and everything would end up looking the same.
Patrick is particularly good at finding things, plants or places and making them talk that others wouldn't even touch with their hands. He uses people's insults about the objects he examines to scrutinise them. When plants are labelled as weeds - unnecessary herbs - this becomes a motivation to look more closely and discover many useful properties or phenomena. As soon as these discoveries are talked about in loudspeaker installations, films or on walks, even sceptics listen intently and question their attitude from time to time.
The workshop is part of the event series ‘333 Hours Workshop of Wonders’, a project within the framework of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025. This measure is co-financed by tax funds on the basis of the budget adopted by the Saxon State Parliament and by federal funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media as well as by funds from the City of Chemnitz.
