Arts Thread

This project began to develop my own understanding of my surroundings and use of hand sourced materials to create a more responsible practice. This project is a personal and material exploration of how to create a connection to the artist through the material and the land we share by putting a name to the places where our materials are from, a celebration of origins. In the final year of my BA Ceramic Design course at Central Saint Martins I began questioning the often-concealed origins and ethical considerations of industrially refined ceramic materials. I have begun to wonder if we have lost some of the emotional value of what we consume through disredgarding the narrative of our material sources. Exploring the use of hand sourced material within highfired glazes my work questions our material sources and how we can begin to reduce our reliance on mined materials by utilising waste and found materials. Many of my pieces express the the geoligical uniqueness of a place or the organic matters found there. This body of work highlights the potential of our surroundings testing these glazes on wheel thrown vessels the body of work is moving towards a collection soley created with hand sourced materials. Hand sourced materials include different clays and ochres from across Europe, different wood ashes, redirected waste material such as wood shavings, iron scraps and oxides from a local blacksmith, eggshells from family and others.