Dirty Little Secrets

Caz Azevedo
​Dirty Little Secrets, 2017
​ceramic 10" x 6" x 5"
​(20 pieces at average of  1.5" x 1.5" x 1" each)

There is great value in secrets and to trust another with them leaves the chance that they may still become exposed.  How does one share their most personal information with others without the risk of being shamed?  This project is formulated by twenty ceramic keepers of my dirtiest secrets written on paper and embedded into the clay before firing.  The evidence is burned in the kiln, leaving the essence of the forever disclosed secret within the rock-like vessel, the keeper.   I have placed my keepers in various locations on campus at the University of California, Berkeley, where they will remain to exist within the surroundings of the public.  Their locations are significant to my time spent at Berkeley;  the paths that I have walked, places where I have studied, and spaces where I have created art.  I invite the viewer to get nosey, if they are so intrigued, and seek out my hidden treasures.

The Process of the Keeper:
​Material came from the deepest areas of sink traps within the clay and glaze areas of the UCB ceramic lab and mixed with recycled porcelain and dried underglaze in order to form the secret keepers.   Secrets were then written on paper and embedded into the clay vessel where they burned away during the firing process, leaving only their charred imprint of their existence.