'Oh Buoy Adrift Once More' Summer 2013
This is a short account of month’s residency at The Clay Studio, Philadelphia supported by the
Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s SIAP Award
Four weeks is not a long time in ceramics considering the timescale for working method, production and firings. I’ve been working for the last few years with porcelain paper clay organic formations and was clear about the direction I wanted the work to take. Having the opportunity to develop further and avail of the technical support within the studios was fantastic. This helped me with more ambitious production skills.
My ceramic formations have been likened to coral and other sea flora through their form, texture and movement. I was interested to work with sea buoys as they have many meanings and interpretations. They can warn against hazards at sea, act as a protective buffer for boats in mooring, they themselves represent buoyancy and the idea of staying afloat. But what interested me the most was the buoy that drifts in the ocean for a long time becoming a home for sea encrustations. A visual metaphor representing a life so far and the varying waters we try to stay buoyant throughout. Along the way we gather our memories, our relationships, our losses, our highs and our lows. But we strive to continue, to get through, get on, staying afloat. The slip cast buoys have a fairly robust quality whilst the delicate porcelain forms are fragile and reflective. They have varying coloured hues of matt, satin, glazed and lustred finishes.
My ceramic formations have been likened to coral and other sea flora through their form, texture and movement. I was interested to work with sea buoys as they have many meanings and interpretations. They can warn against hazards at sea, act as a protective buffer for boats in mooring, they themselves represent buoyancy and the idea of staying afloat. But what interested me the most was the buoy that drifts in the ocean for a long time becoming a home for sea encrustations. A visual metaphor representing a life so far and the varying waters we try to stay buoyant throughout. Along the way we gather our memories, our relationships, our losses, our highs and our lows. But we strive to continue, to get through, get on, staying afloat. The slip cast buoys have a fairly robust quality whilst the delicate porcelain forms are fragile and reflective. They have varying coloured hues of matt, satin, glazed and lustred finishes.
