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Erik Zohn’s 3,000 pound clay pod. Zohn isolated himself within the pod March 19 – March 23, 2018 with five digital media screens as his thesis project for his MFA in Ceramics from the Ohio University School of Art + Design. (WOUB Public Media/Emily Votaw)

One Man, 3,000 Pounds of Clay, and Five Screens: Speaking With Artist Erik Zohn

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Erik Zohn is a third year Ohio University School of Art and Design MFA Ceramics candidate. For his thesis project, he chose to expand on a peculiar brand of isolation performance that he crafted on a small scale last year. This time around, he descended into a 3,000 pound clay pod of his own making, located on the third floor of the very quiet Building 19 of The Ridges, on the evening of Monday, March 19. He made it clear that he would not come out until he reached an unspecified amount of social media attention. That goal ended up being 1,500 likes, comments, and shares, a goal he met on the evening of Friday, March 23.

WOUB’s Emily Votaw spoke to Zohn about his interesting thesis project, his inspirations for the piece, and what it was like to feel alone even with the world at his fingertips in the form of five digital media screens. Zohn’s thesis exhibition will open in the Trisolini Gallery in Baker Center on Thursday, April 5 at 6 p.m.

Artist Erik Zohn outside of his 3,000 pound clay isolation pod on Friday, March 23, when he released himself from his imprisonment. (Facebook.com)