The Nature of Found Objects
The Nature of Found Objets
Ceramic, glaze and underglaze, 2021
6x4x2.5in
This pair of ceramic pieces explore the idea of manmade vs. nature. What happens with our trash long after we have abandoned it? Its greatly inspired by people whose hobby it is to explore abandoned places and old trash dumps in order to find "little treasures" like vintage bottles or old ceramic wares, and most of the time those old sites are overtaken by nature, but the human footprint is still visible.
The Progression
The process started with a brainstorming session for ideas that resulted in the above sketches which I eventually sculpted out of stoneware clay and pieced together to resemble a patch of earth, as if it was taken out directly from nature. Both pieces possess three distinct elements: a manmade object, a living creature, and natural elements in the forms of moss, tree roots, clover, and mushrooms.
I chose to have a specific finish for each of the three elements of the sculptures. The living creatures, the moth and the beetles, are painted in layers of underglazes, to give them the bright colors they have in nature but without the artificial shine that actual glazes would provide, that was reserved for the bottle and tea cup.I liked the unpredictability of the underglaze, as seen above, the initial color of the glazes is not what came out if the kiln in the end. The shine of the bottle and cup separates those elements from the natural, earthy parts that gives the appearance of a broken, weathered glass bottle and shattered tea cup. Lastly, the earthly aspects were left unglazed so the true nature of the unglazed clay would contrast the glazed, manmade objects. I wanted to play with the parallel that this clay comes from the earth and its used to create a representation of nature that is permanent, in order to show the permanence of fired clay and human made objects and how we affect our surroundings.
