Changes, a collective performance work, exemplified Melchert’s new engagement with clay as a theoretical proposition rather than as a static medium. The work broke new ground and has resonated with generations of viewers since. It became an early touchstone in the transition of clay/ceramics into its present status as a time-based, interactive medium rich with symbolic potential. –Sequoia Miller

The first iteration of Changes (1972), is a near-legendary performance piece that is still discussed today. Melchert was invited to Documenta 5, while in Europe, he performed Changes in the Amsterdam studio of Dutch artist Hetty Huisman.

During Changes, Melchert and nine other participants immersed their heads in a basin of ceramic slip, which is the liquid form of clay. Afterward, they sat in a line on a bench as the slip dried, the clay transforming their bodies into vessels. Melchert later said: “It encases your head so that the sounds you hear are interior: your breathing, your heartbeat, your nervous system. It is surprising how vast we are inside. What I realized was, by sitting there with the other people with my ears and eyes blocked, I was experiencing my interior.”