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 permanence, 2019.

Ceramic particles & concrete, (indivudually) 35 x 7.5 x 7.5cm, 2019.

Permanence is a series of objects comprising remnants of fired clay that I sourced from various influential and significant locations to my art practice. Those places include locally sourced clay from Kleinton and Toowoomba, as well as further-reaching, interstate sources in New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory. Portions of the ceramic bi-product have also been brought home from parts of Japan, Spain, France, Denmark, Iceland, Finland and the USA.

 For years, I have been collecting different coloured minerals and grades of clay from many of the locations I have visited because of my practice. The material I have collected is bi-product taken directly from kilns I have used to fire my largest work to date: Deathgate. As a result of high temperature firing, these particles, which crumble off larger handmade pieces, become incredibly hard and are unable to break down as they would if left in their raw state: an irreversible process. In considering the longevity of this ceramic residue, I have turned the collected material into a series of permanent, honorary objects.

The objects culminate, at least to me, a wide range of process-based research, travel and physical work over the past few years. The series is evidence of hundreds of studio-based hours for the sake of a single, large-scale project. 

Photography: Kirsty Lee