Ruth María Robledo, the creator behind Entes Mapal, has dedicated the past decade to mastering the art of clay. Based in East London, Robledo has created a community around herself through her participation in workshops, exhibitions, and panel discussions. We sat down with Ruth to explore how she uses clay as a medium of expression, her creative mindset, and the pivotal role collaboration plays in her work.
Lekàla: How has your background influenced your work as an artist?
Ruth: Having been born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico and having done many road trips all around my native country, I feel very connected to my roots. The joy, colours and scale of the country definitely influenced my body of work. Growing up and seeing the Mexican colonial houses had an impact on me and still does. Whenever I enter into a creative state of mind, my default starting point is to envision a large space.
Lekàla: How did you get into ceramics?
Ruth: The first time I came into contact with clay was during my industrial design studies. Specifically, in an introduction class on how to produce moulds for slip-casting production. I was quite impressed by how quickly I could turn my designs into real physical objects with a high-quality finish. I became very interested in the subject and I started researching more about what is achievable in the medium, different finishes and clays, the terracotta, porcelain, different temperatures, the firing process, the Mexican vernacular terracotta processes and other traditional methods. Clay is omnipresent in our lives and looking at the possibilities spurred me into creative activity, I was testing different methods, met multiple ceramic artists and was able to gain an insight into their processes and how they used the material in varying ways. I remember spending summers in the ceramic studio in my university. I became very passionate about trying multiple things and bringing my visions to life. I continued making lots of cups, vessels and plates. After my graduation, I became the assistant to a ceramic artist and there I learnt about hand-building techniques, seeing Mauricio Cortes creating his grandiose sculptures changed my perception of the capabilities of clay. Those were some of the important moments I have had with clay, but in reality, I have been on a journey with this material since 2013 and I have an infinite amount of stories that move me to continue using this material.
Lekàla: How did you decide ceramics was the ideal medium to express your creativity?
Ruth: It came naturally to me after the endless exploration of materials. I studied Industrial Design and during my academic time I was able to explore multiple materials such as resin, wood, paper, 3D printing, metal, and CNC machinery and what resonated with me the most was ceramics. The act of working with clay is a grounding experience. I grew up in a city and the atmosphere that surrounded me was very fast-paced, the act of driving every day and having to go full speed with a packed agenda made me feel quite accelerated. Being able to sit down and work slowly is a luxury and it's very gratifying to see a finalised piece that has come to fruition through patience and focused energy.
Lekàla: Where do you find your greatest sources of inspiration?
Ruth: The people that surround me, my environment and my personal experiences. From missing Monterrey’s mountains, my hometown, family, and friends to celebrating the connection with my loved ones and making silly references to fruits or objects that I find pleasing to the eye. I find inspiration in my own life, exploring new neighbourhoods, galleries and parks, going to the cinema with my fiancé and finding strange esoteric films. Those activities fill me with inspiration to create and I hope (through my body of work) to communicate and connect with people who can see the same things I enjoy and experience.
Lekàla: Are there any recurring themes or messages in your art?
Ruth: Balance, peace, tranquillity, unity, grounding.
Lekàla: How would you describe your mindset while you are creating?
Ruth: I have different mindsets depending on the project, for instance, if I’m developing consumer-oriented products or working on more sculptural pieces. When I sketch for sculptural work I seek out the message that I want to convey and focus on how to best communicate it and then I start iterating the forms and see what works best, I also enjoy truly connecting with my subconscious, my instincts and my innate intuition in order to and work out deeper themes and emotions. When I am at the studio hand building, I become very present and listen to the clay, as it is a form of communication through touch. From the temperature, dryness, colour, its thickness, every aspect is communicating to you if you’re able to continue building. I find it very gratifying to have this connection as it allows me to quieten my mind often racing at the pace of the outside world. Producing functional objects requires a more analytical approach as I can also bear in mind what will simplify the production, how the shape will affect the mould and the shape to be easy to glaze, store, clean etc.
Lekàla: What are you most excited about creating at present?
Ruth: I am excited about being able to focus on more sculptural objects, such as lamps and flower vessels. As a designer, I have always been very interested in developing larger-scale objects, such as furniture pieces made out of clay, larger-scale lamps and more. For the next projects I would love to collaborate with other artists. I find collaboration to be incredibly rewarding and a surefire to expand on creative visions.
