Cotton Father - Michelle O’Loughlin
Empty Vessels for Matariki
Porcelain, imbued with New Zealand’s finest China Clay and Raku Fired gritty clay.
After years dedicated to the fast-paced world of fashion, where perfection was the ultimate goal, I now revel in the spontaneity of the clay process, embracing imperfections inspired by the Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi.
Not from New Zealand but lucky enough to live here. Empty Vessels for Matariki are vessels to hold stories about our shared histories and familiar beliefs.
Taking the theme of shared materials as inspiration and method of creation.
Colonialism affected us all in different ways and these materials have their own stories woven into their make. Hoping to provoke a voice for lost stories and faded memories.
Creating ‘fabric’ from New Zealand porcelain which is used to fashion different forms using a sphere as a starting point. The sculptures are high fired and allowed to morph into their own memories of how they were handled and constructed. With each material family constructed to reflect the subject matter the hope is to reflect the energy of the story.
