Architecture and Ceramics: ideas, practice and methods.Creating spaces: Because of my experience of nearly living more abroad then in my native country, it comes often to me, the need to define the meaning of home as a place where I can relate and belong to.I think at the rituals involved in moving into a new house, it is fascinating how simple gestures like hanging a picture of friends and family on the wall and playing a record of my favourite singer can unconsciously help me to feel at home.The installations I do are for me a comment on my constant attempt to integrate into a new place and society and how the familiar meeting the exotic creates new spaces.Through the making of installations and space interventions I explore and visually translate how the acculturation process affects people.Acculturation is the process in which peoples beavers and attitudes from one culture are modified as a result of the contact with a different culture.In this process of cultural and psychological change, a number of mutations in ones cultural identity occurs, leaving us with a colourful collage of traditions, costumes and believes.Installations and interventions: practiceThe clay is rolled into slabs, then pressed into windows frames, radiators, or into any other object found on site that gives me interesting patterns. I shape the clay slabs into decorative ornaments that I finally attach to the furniture or walls simply by pressing clay into clay. Long clay coils and extruded clay sections are pressed repeatedly into a desired place so that it creates harmonious composition. Every part of the ceramic work is hand built. This approach gives me the opportunity to choose from different ways of working with clay, and give to every single installation a unique look.I enjoy working spontaneously on the clay when in its plastic state so that the result shows the making process and its energy. In the installations, windows, doors, benches, chairs, floors and wall corners are decorated with modelled raw clay. Using raw clay as building material means that the whole installation stays together into place until the clay dries out, then eventually it cracks and so falls into pieces on the floor, reminding me that no space or place can last forever.I use raw clay and not fired mainly because it gives me the opportunity to be freer in modelling and shaping the work on site. By leaving the clay unfired I believe it preserve some of the mark making qualities, which it would otherwise lost in the firing process. Never the less I don’t discard the possibility of using fired clay to create similar work and permanent installations out of doors. DrawingsBeside ceramics, I am very interested in the practice of drawing. I work with both in parallel as I find they compliment each other. In my drawings, as in my ceramics, I like to work freely and with spontaneity and follow my interest in geometrical and organic patterns, rhythm and repetition.The drawings represent both real and imaginary places. I draw buildings and their living spaces, which, in most cases, contain some of my ceramic vessels. Sometimes vases or pieces of furniture are the main subject of the drawing itself. Besides drawing with ink on paper and using various printing techniques, I paint on porcelain tiles; this is a media that I was introduced to in Jingdezhen, China, 2 years ago by some of the local artists. I find the way painted tiles bind drawings and ceramics together fascinating. Manuel Canu

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