The Appeal series examines the possibilities of material control. Pushing the limits of clay’s plasticity to its maximum, I play with the elements expelled by the extruder, this «idea developing machine», by pushing the shape itself and adding more and more oxygen. As I breathe more air in, the primary volumes, in this instance hollow earthenware tubes, fill up with air.
In appearance soft and irresistible, the shape of Appeal might lead one to believe that it would make for a cosy nest to curl up in, but in reality, as one gets closer, it is hard, fragile and icy, or perhaps the very opposite.
Varying materials: earthenware & pulverised glaze or stoneware & pulverised pigmented porcelain slip
Varying dimensions (H x W): 20 x 18 cm
A note from the artist on the collection -
During a Love Sorrow is a set of ceramic pieces, mainly vases and sculptures, which I made in 2020. Created while mending a broken heart, this naively conceived collection questions a malleable and capricious medium and what it has to say. As I worked the clay, I ceased to think about “it”, and was able to distance myself from that pain.
I allow the clay to take shape which, seemingly free and autonomous, in fact becomes either unnecessarily useful or uselessly necessary.
In my creative process I embrace the notion of intuition and simplicity. Both accidents and luck are integral to the production process, but only to be re-orchestrated and re-structured so as not to reveal too much.
-
Héloïse Piraud
