Analysing the Language of Environmental Ceramic Art

Abstract

Drawing upon systemic-functional semiotics and Michael O'Toole's analytical framework for sculpture, this study conducts a multifactorial, systemically oriented investigation of environmental ceramic works. Through detailed multimodal description and comparative case analyses of both Chinese and international pieces, it demonstrates how the ideational, interpersonal and compositional meta-functions of visual grammar can be operationalized to decode spatial scale, material texture, chromatic rhythm, visitor pathways and environmental integration. The empirical results not only confirm the feasibility of applying visual grammar to three-dimensional ceramic installations, but also provide a replicable protocol—comprising phase-by-phase annotation, meta-functional coding and inter-rater reliability checks—that bridges aesthetic interpretation, curatorial practice and pedagogical design.