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STATEMENT

Asa Peller is an artist, designer, and engineer whose creative practice intertwines traditional ceramics with computational design and robotic fabrication. Harnessing an array of material knowledge and craft processes, he navigates digital methodologies to make unique ceramic sculptures, functional pottery, and architectural products. Asa makes his artwork with a two-ton robotic arm reclaimed from the automotive industry, which is programmed to 3D print ceramic objects. His process itself is a work of design; he invents his own robotic tools for extruding clay, determines forms through hand drawings which are digitally drafted, and develops custom algorithms to create surface textures and robotic toolpaths. This collaboration between the human mind, robotic arm, and clay reflects a subtle balance between tactile craftsmanship and computation. Natural systems, parametric patterns, and woven structures are primary sources of inspiration for Asa; his aesthetic sensibilities are rooted in the geometric energy inherent to nature and human creativity. Computation historically arose from the system of ones and zeros used in textile machines, and a similar reciprocal relationship between craft and technology is evident in Asa’s art. His practice is a return to the old, as something new.