mend

Here are some shots from Mend, which finishes this Sunday at Mr. Kitly, Brunswick. 

(Hand made wooden spoon by Eugene Howard)

(Wheel thrown bowl by John Papworth (AUS) 1970's)

All of the chips left over from the repairs

Instal shot

(L-R Jessica Hans vase, Kate Hill Yarra River cup, Keiko Matsui)

(L-R Willow pattern plate, Shino Takeda bowl)

Lonsdale street clay

dig number three

 

Craig and I went back to the dig site today in Eltham for the third dig. The winter dig. Everything is oozing moisture and the hole was completely full of water. The birds were going crazy and the acacias are bursting. I emptied the hole of it's water and watched as the surrounding earth repelled the water I bucketed onto it, and trickled back into the hole again. We went down to the river and upon return, the hole was full. 

time as a raw material

"His (Guattari's) definition is ideally applicable to the practices of the contemporary artists who create and stage life-structures that include working methods and ways of life, rather than the concrete objects that once defined the field of art. They use time as a raw material."

Bourriaud, N 2002, Relational aesthetics, Les presses du réel, France.

mend

MEND 
Opening: Friday 8th August, 6pm
Dates: 8-25th August
Mr. Kitly, Melbourne. 


Words and information about the show here. 

thanks

Thank you so much to everyone who made the trip out to Montsalvat to see Fuyu no Hinata, which finishes this Sunday. Sometimes it's tricky even to get to a show in the city, so we really appreciate all the people who ventured out there. Thank you! It was such an honour to exhibit with my good friends Yuko and Yoko, especially to see Yuko have an exhibition here in Australia in her 6 month visit from Japan. And also it was a nice experiment to exhibit out of the city - it seemed to get a really nice response. 

Now I'm finishing off a project which will open at Mr. Kitly gallery next Friday the 8th, and as well as an eclectic, lovely collection of treasured personal pottery, collected from friends and family, you'll get to see more of Yuko's exquisite weavings. 

This is really a lovely project I'm lucky to be a part of. I'll put the exact details up here soon. x 

Green magazine

My work is featured in the current issue of Green Magazine, a publication on sustainable architecture and landscape design. It's part of a regular feature by Brave New Eco, on sustainable products and design. Thanks Megan. :) 

recently

some photos from fuyu no hinata

fuyu no hinata / 冬の陽向

Country, wintery vibes. 

With weavings by Yuko Yokota (Japan) and ceramics by Yoko Ozawa (Australia) and me, at Montsalvat, Eltham, Australia. 

Opens Thursday 26th June, 6.30pm, until August 4th, 2014. 

sieving 1,2,3

genki plant

sake to utsuwa / さけとうつわ

Sake to utsuwa/ さけとうつわ opens this Friday 6th of June at Mr. Kitly!
Stoked to be joining these artists in responding to select boutique sakes: Alex Standen, Bridget Bodenham, Jane Sawyer, Julie B, Kate Hill, Kirsten Perry, Matthias Kaiser, Mountain Pottery, Rowsaan, Sandra Bowkett, Shino Takeda & Yoko Ozawa

(artwork by dear plastic)

deconstructing someone else's work

 

 

I was asked if I'd like to recycle the clay from Andrew McQualters work A form made by constructing a coil pot in the space between Craig & me, from Assembly: Contemporary Ceramics at Margaret Lawrence Gallery. I've never met Andrew, and he wasn't present when I was pulling apart the work, but it was pretty incredible to use my hands to undo something that held the finger prints of something him and Craig had made. I guess our conversation is in the work. 

This terracotta is going to be recycled into plant pots for natives by myself and many other willing hands. We'll use the coil pot method, and the social aspect remains. From one thing to another... 

shirakami-sanchi

Recently, i've been thinking about shirakami-sanchi, which is a mountainous area in the very north of Honshu, Japan. 

It's a world heritage listed area, with rare beech forest and an abundance of clear springs. 

I've been thinking about this because I'm part of a show coming up at Mr. Kitly called Sake to Utsuwa. In this exhibition, each artist chose one sake from a list of small independent boutique sake makers from Japan. I chose Tokubetsu Junmai, from the Andosuigun brewery in the northern most point of Honshu, the main island, and in a couple of weeks I came home to a bottle of it on my doorstep with a hand written note. :)

This sake is made using water from the natural spring that runs through these mountains! Apparently this special water helps to produce a 'very clear and well structured sake'. In response to this beautiful sake and beautiful story behind the sake, I collected water from the (not-so-world-heritage-listed) water sources near my studio - the Merri Creek and the Yarra River. I then throw the vessels using this water. Some stones and debri have remained through the firing process. 

Andosuigun Brewery collection spot: 

Merri Creek collection spot:

Yarra River collection spot:

This is a lovely project and will be a beautiful show. Opens 6th of June! 

VVv VvV v v

Getting through the glazing after tributary and finding lots of burnt out and melted rocks from the river. 

/ \\ || ' ' ' // : : \ | / ' "" | |

residency finished.

Thanks so much to C3 Contemporary Artspace, Arts Victoria and Abbotsford Convent for giving me an opportunity to spend time with the Yarra River, Abbotsford. I was my first time working with a tidal river, and one that is so intertwined with the urban environment, it's history, politics and culture. 

Not an end point, this residency is instead a catalyst, a mid-point, or a beginning. I leave with new materials and new knowledge to continue the projects from the space. 

Thanks also to all the visitors (friends and new friends) for sharing countless stories about the river and their relationship to it. 

x x x x x