2019, Porcelain and fabric, 15 x 9 x 5 cm (2 pieces)
This was in response to being invited to participate in an international exhibition. The brief stipulation was ‘book’. I decided that I wanted to create a sculptural object that told a story but left the story untold.
The motivation for the piece was a tragic event in the life of a very dear friend (my best friend).
The death of a precious new baby.
I choose porcelain and left it unglazed in order for the clay to show its true qualities. Using porcelain says so much about a piece of ceramics without ever saying anything else. It is the most challenging of clays to work with but when executed correctly is almost translucid and so worth the time and effort to get it right. It is precious, pure and fragile yet stronger than metal. Clay has a ‘memory’ it is one of the qualities I love about it, porcelain more than others.
The book is held within another book, which in turn is presented in a velvet red book. The internal book is sealed, and forever joined to the one that encases it with a silk ribbon. Silk again being a material used in precious garments and those we wish to celebrate. The red book is a nod to an echo of the past ‘this is your life’.
When I use monarch butterflies, they are symbolic of many things. Folklore tells us that they carry the spirit of loved ones. They also remind me of the ripple effect (which prompted the title). These unique and remarkable creatures return to the exact tree as the 4th generation before them without ever physically being there before. An innate sense of belonging, of home. Their story is well worth knowing. Each member plays their essential part, however brief.
This piece will never be for sale, it is priceless and there will only ever be one.