Beyond the Surface
Collection of hand built ceramic forms. Limerick, Ireland. 2013.
This body of work titled, Beyond the Surface, is not only a continuing exploration of the concept of space, but an attempt to integrate traditional craft concerns such as material, surface, and form with environmental concerns, in particular the global loss of biodiversity.
With this work, I strive to create an oxymoronic functional sculpture where a universal benefit exists beyond the aesthetic qualities of the piece. These objects are a collection of outdoor sculptures which aspire to become more than autonomous art objects. These sculptures can function as a space for endangered and beneficial invertebrates, such as wild bees, to overwinter and breed.
These works should be situated in a natural environment such as a garden. This contrast between a manmade, geometrical form positioned in the context of the natural world echoes the division between the self and the other: where we —as humans — are part of nature, but often position ourselves outside of it, disconnected from it.
This division is represented by elements of illusion in the work, which invite us to question our sense of reality and cause confusion as the surface of the form appears to contradict and alter the actual shape of the form. This juxtaposition encourages contemplation of the parallels between natural creation and human creation.
Holes in the form provide a route from the external space of a garden to the internal space of the form allowing the natural world to fuse with the work. The space of the natural world now exists both inside and outside the constructed form. It is with this interaction that the work becomes complete.