This thesis consists of a material research of colours for creating ceramic art work, inspired by the music of the Latvian composer, Péteris Vasks. The initial idea was the exploration of how colours and abstract images, that radiated from Vasks’s music as subjective inner visual experiences, could be transferred onto a tangible ceramic art work. As the process developed, it raised another question of how ceramics, which is considered rigid and permanent material, could be utilised for expressing the ephemerality and transience that was evident in the music. This thesis could be divided into two components, one being a research for gaining fundamental knowledge in developing and supporting ideas for the art work, and the other being a hands-on practical production of the art work.

Through a subjective contemplation of the topic, inspirations such as visual music, minimalist painters and Japanese aesthetic were collated. After different thoughts were crystalised into one concrete idea, colouring methods used for textile dying became the chosen field to be explored. While textile artists are striving to keep the colours permanent, my approach was towards the opposite, to make impermanent. As a result, the experimental exhibition, showcasing the final art work with music improvisations was held at Lume Galleria in Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture from 21st to 25th January, 2013.