Fri 13 Dec 2024
Fire
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An experiment to kiln dry the clay by lighting a fire directly on top of the figures face. The resulting cracked but solid texture is very interesting. Areas turned white and black. The outside is still wet however. I may repeat with a much larger bonfire around the entire piece although the waters are rising.
Fire
An experiment to kiln dry the clay by lighting a fire directly on top of the figures face. The resulting cracked but solid texture is very interesting. Areas turned white and black. The outside is still wet however. I may repeat with a much larger bonfire around the entire piece although the waters are rising.
Thurs 12 Dec 2024
Location search for a large scale sculpture site
Today We visit the old village Rejoi, where 45 families used to live around 10 year ago. The villagers were moved out from their homes due to the building of a huge dam by the government. It’s emotional for Lelem to revisit this place as he grew up here and hasn’t been back for a decade. We enter off the jungle track and hack our way in with a machete. ‘Here is where Kewa’s house was’ he mentions whilst pointing to some ferns. There is virtually no sign of anyone having lived here other than a few wooden posts and an old generator completely grown over. It’s not that the jungle grew over everything, it is that the villagers moved every material, piece by piece, to rebuild their new village. In the jungle, absolutely nothing is wasted.
After a full day of hiking, my heart is full, body tired, but my mind is still wondering for a location for a bigger sculpture. Rejoi, like most places I have visited so far, was too dense with foliage to locate my next earth body work. My criteria are quite specific:
- Recieves direct sun.
- Open plan enough to work in.
- near clay.
- near water.
- near where we’re staying (so i can cover with tarp at the first sign of rain each day).
- a certain feeling of awe about the environment (unique to the area we are in).
Perhaps I am expecting too much? Am I coming into the environment ‘ready to percieve’ or do I have preconceptions?
There is one more place I want to visit deep in the jungle up in the mountain -The village of Semban where the Bidayuh lived before Rejoi. The houses are still there, but completely overgrown by vines and forest. Lelem tells me there are even many human skulls left from when they were still head hunters.
The Bengoh Stone
Lelem tells me of the Bengoh Ancient Stone, a significant cultural and historical artifact associated with the Bidayuh people. The stone is steeped in legend and holds spiritual significance for the local community. chosen especially from the riverbed by the head pagans, The Bengoh Stone is a large, flat rock, inscribed with mysterious carvings that resemble ancient drawings or symbols. These carvings depict humans, animals, and other symbols. The exact origins of these carvings are not clearly known, but they are believed to predate modern history, potentially being the work of early Bidayuh ancestors or other ancient inhabitants of the region.
Legends associated with the Bengoh stone
It’s said that the carvings on the stone were made by the early ancestors of the Bidayuh as a way of passing down knowledge and marking the importance of the area as a sacred or strategic place. These carvings may represent stories of creation, survival, or community rituals.
According to some legends, the carvings were meant to serve as a warning or prophecy for future generations, reminding them to respect nature and live in harmony with the spirits of the land.
The Bengoh Stone is sometimes viewed as a gateway to the spirit world. The carvings are believed to have spiritual significance, with some locals suggesting that they may have been used in rituals or ceremonies to communicate with the spirits.
The stone reminds me of the Shiva Lingham in India, a theme which keeps coming up in relation to the Earth Body works I am creating. There seems to be no images of the Bengoh stone online which makes it even more mysterious.
Weds 11 Dec 2024
Purple pigment and orange clay
I add colours into the face found within it’s surrounding environment. At first, I’m unsure of the impression these leave. The pinky flesh tones feel very european and not of Borneo. Also, working the colours into the piece is proving difficult as the clay is not drying. It is raining heavily every day here now and it is recieving no direct sunlight to bake it. I feel I am losing momentum and faith in the development of this work. Without the surface drying, it feels as though it is a bit stuck.
Purple pigment and orange clay
I add colours into the face found within it’s surrounding environment. At first, I’m unsure of the impression these leave. The pinky flesh tones feel very european and not of Borneo. Also, working the colours into the piece is proving difficult as the clay is not drying. It is raining heavily every day here now and it is recieving no direct sunlight to bake it. I feel I am losing momentum and faith in the development of this work. Without the surface drying, it feels as though it is a bit stuck.
Tues 10 Dec 2024
I notice how the rocks lay sleeping in the riverbed. Under the water they seem to glow in the light.
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I notice how the rocks lay sleeping in the riverbed. Under the water they seem to glow in the light.
I begin building directly onto the rock face. The clay holds suprisingly well. The main challenge of working in the river seems to be how slippery all the rocks are.
9 Dec 2024
The Red River
There are three rivers meeting at the point where we are staying in the jungle. One of these rivers has a rich, glowing red colour. The locals say it gets it’s colour form the tree roots. I find myself particularly drawn to this place. Lelem tells us a Bidayuh folklore that if you sleep on the riverbed, the Penunggu Sungai, the guardian spirit of the river, will come to you in the night and bring you what you are searching for.
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The Red River
There are three rivers meeting at the point where we are staying in the jungle. One of these rivers has a rich, glowing red colour. The locals say it gets it’s colour form the tree roots. I find myself particularly drawn to this place. Lelem tells us a Bidayuh folklore that if you sleep on the riverbed, the Penunggu Sungai, the guardian spirit of the river, will come to you in the night and bring you what you are searching for.
Flash Floods
It’s the rainy season and December is known for being the wettest month here. The river is prone to severe flash floods when particularly heavy rains fall up in the mountains. Knowing this, I have decided to biuld the work in the centre of the riverbed and create an ephemeral work that will at some point be washed away. I don’t know when this might happen as there is no way of forecasting the microclimate here. The locals feel it is coming soon due to the humidity in the air this week.They predict next week. Sometimes the waters can rise by over 3 metres in one go.
Sat 7 Dec 2024
Earthen floor and studio space
It’s been raining a lot. Ben and I decide to renovate a small shack in the jungle and turn it into a studio space with an earthen floor.
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Earthen floor and studio space
It’s been raining a lot. Ben and I decide to renovate a small shack in the jungle and turn it into a studio space with an earthen floor.
Fri 6 Dec 2024
Dorodango clay tests
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Dorodango clay tests
Thurs 5 Dec 2024
Pink Clay
We are shown purple rocks in the river bed. When broken open they appear to act like oil pastels with a deep earthy, pink-purple hue. We use them to paint other rocks simply by rubbing them and the pigment comes off like wax.
On further inspection, I realise these are not stones, they are in fact rocks of clay. After crushing into a fine powder and adding water, the properties are unlike any I’ve experienced before and the colour is so incredible.
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Pink Clay
We are shown purple rocks in the river bed. When broken open they appear to act like oil pastels with a deep earthy, pink-purple hue. We use them to paint other rocks simply by rubbing them and the pigment comes off like wax.
On further inspection, I realise these are not stones, they are in fact rocks of clay. After crushing into a fine powder and adding water, the properties are unlike any I’ve experienced before and the colour is so incredible.
Weds 4 Dec 2024
Clay types
Where we are staying there are three rivers meeting. Very excited to discover such a variety of colours of natural clay down by the riverbed.
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Clay types
Where we are staying there are three rivers meeting. Very excited to discover such a variety of colours of natural clay down by the riverbed.
Mon 2 Dec 2024
Journey to Kampong Nyegol village
We drive down to the Dam to meet meet Moose who is then taking us by boat to Kampong Nyegol, an indigenous village of just ten families living here.
On the drive down the land quickly changes, becoming increasingly remote, overgrown and mountainous. The forest is dense. The Grab driver excitedly mentions ‘this is the village where my wife is from, there are a lot of crocodiles’. I notice a strong transitional feeling the closer we get towards the dam, a humbling of the senses, a cautiousness of spirit as we depart from the city and get closer to the jungle. The atmsphere becoming realer, of life itself, no cotton wool, no bubble, a reality of the planet we live without the distractions and illusions of the manmade environment. I feel a sharpening of the senses, a tuning of the mind and body.
We meet Moose and head to the village via the waters. The mountains, river and sky surround us. From the village we walk further to meet Lottie and Lelem at Ngapuh Lodge, here I’ll be staying for the next month.
Journey to Kampong Nyegol village
We drive down to the Dam to meet meet Moose who is then taking us by boat to Kampong Nyegol, an indigenous village of just ten families living here.
On the drive down the land quickly changes, becoming increasingly remote, overgrown and mountainous. The forest is dense. The Grab driver excitedly mentions ‘this is the village where my wife is from, there are a lot of crocodiles’. I notice a strong transitional feeling the closer we get towards the dam, a humbling of the senses, a cautiousness of spirit as we depart from the city and get closer to the jungle. The atmsphere becoming realer, of life itself, no cotton wool, no bubble, a reality of the planet we live without the distractions and illusions of the manmade environment. I feel a sharpening of the senses, a tuning of the mind and body.
We meet Moose and head to the village via the waters. The mountains, river and sky surround us. From the village we walk further to meet Lottie and Lelem at Ngapuh Lodge, here I’ll be staying for the next month.
Sun 1 Dec 2024
Travelling to Sarawak, Borneo.
Today I arrived in Kuching with Ben Khan. Tomorrow we travel by boat and hike into the jungle where we will stay for the next month alongside the Bidayuh indigenous community living there.
We plan to spend the next month continuing to work with the earth here whilst developing our practices alongside one other, documenting our journey through sound, film and sculpture, connecting with the culture and wisdom of the land and the community.
Travelling to Sarawak, Borneo.
Today I arrived in Kuching with Ben Khan. Tomorrow we travel by boat and hike into the jungle where we will stay for the next month alongside the Bidayuh indigenous community living there.
We plan to spend the next month continuing to work with the earth here whilst developing our practices alongside one other, documenting our journey through sound, film and sculpture, connecting with the culture and wisdom of the land and the community.
Fri 29 Nov 2024
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Fri 29 Nov 2024
Back to TianTaru to test Natural Varnish
I have been given a plant based natural varnish to test out on the earth pieces. Around 400ml varnish is diluted with 300ml 70% distilled alcohol as an initial test.Initial notesMatt Varnish darkens the colour quite considerably, adding a gloss sheen to pre shined surfaces, and a semi sheen to textured, matt surfaces on my smaller works. Blue pigment seems to turn a dark brown/ black/ dusty navy which can be buffed. Tests placed under extreme rains for over an hour and seem to be completely waterproof.
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Back to TianTaru to test Natural Varnish
I have been given a plant based natural varnish to test out on the earth pieces. Around 400ml varnish is diluted with 300ml 70% distilled alcohol as an initial test.Initial notesMatt Varnish darkens the colour quite considerably, adding a gloss sheen to pre shined surfaces, and a semi sheen to textured, matt surfaces on my smaller works. Blue pigment seems to turn a dark brown/ black/ dusty navy which can be buffed. Tests placed under extreme rains for over an hour and seem to be completely waterproof.
Varnishing the final sculpture
-colour change
Despite my smaller tests turning out positively, unfortunately the natural varnish has taken differently to the final sculpture. It appears to have dulled and whitened the colours with inconsistent streaks, likely where the work is not yet dry. In sections the colour returns slightly when buffed, but on trying to blend and recover it, I feel I have lost the colour I was happy with before.
Again, another lesson in patience.
On the way up here I stopped at a cafe named after Viktor Schauberger, on reading his book and sipping a coffee I read
‘Planet Earth is finite. Matter cannot be created or destroyed it can only change its form. As everything we see is in process, matter is continually changing its form. Downwards, through destruction and decomposition into it’s simpler components, or upwards through refinement and growth.’
I have mixed feelings about the use of the varnish, despite it being plant based and natural, I am questioning whether my desire to preserve these works (even temporarily) is necessarily inkeeping with the ethos. I remind myself the earth bodies are in fact never ‘finished’, rather that they are always in a constant state of flux as is nature.
I may continue working on it in a months time, but for now, I will leave it be and let it rest.
Mon 25 Nov 2024
Notebook extracts
Shared primal language, a deep connection through form. The ancient sites and narratives across the globe connect us to something lost, something deeper, what are they representing? How can you sense the land? These works are markers planted to bridge territory and expand upon our shared story. Centering the human, stripping away, a removal, and a reconnecting. Who is this person and where are they from? I don’t know. How are they familiar? their faces from anywhere and nowhere at the same time, a connection to our ancestory, accessing a shared pool of deep time that exists in our DNA, and the vast memory stored within.
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Notebook extracts
Shared primal language, a deep connection through form. The ancient sites and narratives across the globe connect us to something lost, something deeper, what are they representing? How can you sense the land? These works are markers planted to bridge territory and expand upon our shared story. Centering the human, stripping away, a removal, and a reconnecting. Who is this person and where are they from? I don’t know. How are they familiar? their faces from anywhere and nowhere at the same time, a connection to our ancestory, accessing a shared pool of deep time that exists in our DNA, and the vast memory stored within.
This work is an oddity [A blue head in the jungle with no ethnicity] ? I don’t know whether it will last a thousand years or have fallen by the time i finish this sentence. It is ephemeral, like everything; inkeeping with the rule of nature, of arising and passing.
Sat 23 Nov 2024
Arrival of a figure
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Arrival of a figure
Thurs 21 Nov 2024
An ‘Allowing’ not a doing
This evening I add lips to the face and hint at eyes and a nose. Overcome by curiosity, I begin sculpting again with my hands, pulling scraping, smearing with my palms and fingertips; reactivating the mud and bringing it back to life. It feels like a three dimensional paint palette. I forget about the colour and focus on the form, in doing som the colour becomes automatic, a result of the process and not controlled by me consciously.
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An ‘Allowing’ not a doing
This evening I add lips to the face and hint at eyes and a nose. Overcome by curiosity, I begin sculpting again with my hands, pulling scraping, smearing with my palms and fingertips; reactivating the mud and bringing it back to life. It feels like a three dimensional paint palette. I forget about the colour and focus on the form, in doing som the colour becomes automatic, a result of the process and not controlled by me consciously.
I am reminded of the idea of ‘perfection’ in nature, which exists because nothing is formed with effort. It is not ‘trying’ to be perfect, it is formed naturally, in communion with the totality of the whole. Using colour in this way feels like a breakthrough, allowing it to come through me rather than ‘doing’ it. That said, in this state of mind it becomes a very physical process that involves every aspect of my body and focus. I am aware yet unaware. Sweating, breathing, thoughts processing, subconscious archiving, realising, allowing realities to bubble up in their own abstract ways. Past experiences being understood through the body and its memory. Dormant memories processing and realising, and releasing.
Mon 18 Nov 2024
Symphony in Blue
River and Tian (Seba and Ayu’s children) grew up here and have decided to take part in a small ceremony to process the indigo clay and paint the sculpture blue. Cloaked in indigo dyded sarongs, I dig a circular channel around the base of the sculpture and they carefully tread the indigo paste into the clay soil within. It turns deep earthy grey green navy. Feet fade into blue , black, our hands paint the face the ink seeping into our skin like blue oil. Under the sun there is a galaxy sparkling in the palms of our hands. It feels futuristic nd ancient at the same time.
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Symphony in Blue
River and Tian (Seba and Ayu’s children) grew up here and have decided to take part in a small ceremony to process the indigo clay and paint the sculpture blue. Cloaked in indigo dyded sarongs, I dig a circular channel around the base of the sculpture and they carefully tread the indigo paste into the clay soil within. It turns deep earthy grey green navy. Feet fade into blue , black, our hands paint the face the ink seeping into our skin like blue oil. Under the sun there is a galaxy sparkling in the palms of our hands. It feels futuristic nd ancient at the same time.
On painting the sculpture:
It feels somewhat seperate from the form, cosmetic and skin deep. We add a thick paste of blue mud and play with spreading it in different methods, it slowly starts to weave new meaning into the piece. Pigmented powder works really well. It is matt, dull, dries the surface and freezes the texture.
Sat 16 Nov 2024
Secondcoming, Rebirth
I’ve lost track of the days, my fingertips are tender, my nails are blue and my feet are beginning to change shape, toes spreading, widening, toughening from this barefoot process.
Out of the rubble arose a new figure; stronger, stable, slighter, wiser. It is smaller but holds a larger presence. The rebirth was fast, shockingly fast yet seemingly stronger. I feel this is the strongest, most solid mass yet. With no internal skeleton, the whole becomes one.
I continue to shape the form. Minimal, muted, slightly blurred and vague in expression, it’s presence represents everybody and nobody all at once. It feels too male though, too chunky, manly. Something is not right here, it is not ready.
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Secondcoming, Rebirth
I’ve lost track of the days, my fingertips are tender, my nails are blue and my feet are beginning to change shape, toes spreading, widening, toughening from this barefoot process.
Out of the rubble arose a new figure; stronger, stable, slighter, wiser. It is smaller but holds a larger presence. The rebirth was fast, shockingly fast yet seemingly stronger. I feel this is the strongest, most solid mass yet. With no internal skeleton, the whole becomes one.
I continue to shape the form. Minimal, muted, slightly blurred and vague in expression, it’s presence represents everybody and nobody all at once. It feels too male though, too chunky, manly. Something is not right here, it is not ready.
Fri 15 Nov 2024
Putu, Made and Ben assist
Rebuilding begins with Ben and Made processing the clay adding in the fiber. The stones are removed, Putu and I rebuild the form.
In one day we rebuild the form, slightly smaller this time. I am aware that this is again far too rapid, but I follow my instinct that the hot sunlight + the fibre will hold it in place this time. If it falls again, I will accept. Working with mud is localised and there is only so much research I can apply, the rest is felt and learned through direct contact with this material. The raw material informs me, it speaks through the minds touch, its properties and limitations are communicated through experience and instinct, like an extension of my body.
Putu, Made and Ben assist
Rebuilding begins with Ben and Made processing the clay adding in the fiber. The stones are removed, Putu and I rebuild the form.
In one day we rebuild the form, slightly smaller this time. I am aware that this is again far too rapid, but I follow my instinct that the hot sunlight + the fibre will hold it in place this time. If it falls again, I will accept. Working with mud is localised and there is only so much research I can apply, the rest is felt and learned through direct contact with this material. The raw material informs me, it speaks through the minds touch, its properties and limitations are communicated through experience and instinct, like an extension of my body.
Thurs 14 Nov 2024
The sculpture has fallen
I arrive this morning to a sorry sight. The front of the face has parted away and dropped forwards. It is split right through the core under its own weight. I feel devastated, numb. I felt so sure of the technique this time.
I fet unsure about the large rocks and the muds adhesion to the surface as lava rock is so porous. On analysis it seems this is where the failure has occured. Similiar to my sculpture at Hooke Park, it appears that any internal structure only serves to weaken the overall body, creating voids when worked, shaped and sculpted. The sculpture cannot hold its own weight if there are voids and it is still wet.
I feel winded by this and need time to pick myself back up and try again. Lessons in patience, persistance and perseverance. With each failure I must observe and then continue. Working too fast is like pouring a hot tea, I must wait to enjoy it. Rush it and I burn my tongue.
I spend the afternoon clearing the debris and reshaping the base section.
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The sculpture has fallen
I arrive this morning to a sorry sight. The front of the face has parted away and dropped forwards. It is split right through the core under its own weight. I feel devastated, numb. I felt so sure of the technique this time.
I fet unsure about the large rocks and the muds adhesion to the surface as lava rock is so porous. On analysis it seems this is where the failure has occured. Similiar to my sculpture at Hooke Park, it appears that any internal structure only serves to weaken the overall body, creating voids when worked, shaped and sculpted. The sculpture cannot hold its own weight if there are voids and it is still wet.
I feel winded by this and need time to pick myself back up and try again. Lessons in patience, persistance and perseverance. With each failure I must observe and then continue. Working too fast is like pouring a hot tea, I must wait to enjoy it. Rush it and I burn my tongue.
I spend the afternoon clearing the debris and reshaping the base section.
Solutions
1. Direct Sunlight : I decide to remove the housing and replace with a small portable tarp cover.
2. Binder : Introduce black sugar palm fiber (a thick hair) and dried bamboo leaves in the mud mix.
3. Remove Rocks: Remove and make solid mud. Same build technique, in 2 stages with sun baking during build.
Weds 13 Nov 2024
Carving begins
The shape feels initially challenging- base heavy, tapering very slim at the top it is tall and chimney-like. I begin by rounding off the top. Already this creates a presence. The elipsoid - the beginning of something coming from nothing. Someone is coming. I spend the morning and find a rough form, realising it will need building up in certain areas, the back of the head and the front of the forehead and nose. There are rocks near the surface which create limitationes on the dimensions. By the end of the day a preence has started to arrive.
Carving begins
The shape feels initially challenging- base heavy, tapering very slim at the top it is tall and chimney-like. I begin by rounding off the top. Already this creates a presence. The elipsoid - the beginning of something coming from nothing. Someone is coming. I spend the morning and find a rough form, realising it will need building up in certain areas, the back of the head and the front of the forehead and nose. There are rocks near the surface which create limitationes on the dimensions. By the end of the day a preence has started to arrive.
Mon 11 Nov 2024
Main build mass finished
The main mass of the sculpture has now been finished and left to dry to firm up some more before carving into it.
Unlike previous works, this piece will be a reductive process where I am taking away. This is due to the scale and moisture content of the clay used, which would not allow for overhangs or much movement unless cured to a certain extent.
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Main build mass finished
The main mass of the sculpture has now been finished and left to dry to firm up some more before carving into it.
Unlike previous works, this piece will be a reductive process where I am taking away. This is due to the scale and moisture content of the clay used, which would not allow for overhangs or much movement unless cured to a certain extent.
Thurs 7 Nov 2024
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Tues 5 Nov 2024
Building continues. (Camera still working)
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Building continues. (Camera still working)
notes on techniques:
Throw small balls of processed clay onto the form. Swipe with hands to combine and merge the clay.
Avoid working the whole form too much as this moistens and reactivates the previously drying foundations. Especially avoid slapping.
Mud consistency is much wetter than previously experienced. This creates a stronger overall form once dried with less internal voids. Consteuction is slower though.
Pull slumping clay from sides and reapply to top in order to continually reshape the whole.
Use wooden paddle to shape final surface by tapping and swiping to bind clay smoothely and evenly.
Mon 4 Nov 2024
Notes on rains. Doubts kicking in.
I’m really concerned by the tropical rains that now seem to come every day. The thunder shakes me to the core, it really puts the fear of God in me it is so intense. I went out in it to film in the downpour and slipped in a waterfall of mud and I think my camera has broken. It’s currenty sitting in a bowl of rice.
I must remind myself this too will pass.
Notes on rains. Doubts kicking in.
I’m really concerned by the tropical rains that now seem to come every day. The thunder shakes me to the core, it really puts the fear of God in me it is so intense. I went out in it to film in the downpour and slipped in a waterfall of mud and I think my camera has broken. It’s currenty sitting in a bowl of rice.
I must remind myself this too will pass.
Sat 2nd Nov 2024
Bamboo Hut construction, gutters and foundations dug. Rains continue.
notes on the hut:
Sometimes it’s also the work around the work that becomes interesting. The preperations, or the scene, the environment, the people and the journey all form part of the work, they have their own beauty that comes together to form a new whole.
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Bamboo Hut construction, gutters and foundations dug. Rains continue.
notes on the hut:
Sometimes it’s also the work around the work that becomes interesting. The preperations, or the scene, the environment, the people and the journey all form part of the work, they have their own beauty that comes together to form a new whole.
Fri 1st Nov 2024
Site for large scale work. Monsoon rains come.
I have decided to create a large scale indigo clay work on TianTaru’s land here. There is quite a magical place where the light filters into an open clearing surrounded by luscious jungle near the house. The clay is nearby and the conditions seem right.
Each time I am in a new environment I find myself faced with a new challenge. The day I begin, the monsoon rains fall and it is soon clear that I will be battling the arrival of the wet season here - especially within the microclimate up here. I am worried about how to build an earthen sculpture in these conditions and if it is even possible. Putu and Made tell me it is not ideal in the wet season, but it is possible.
Site for large scale work. Monsoon rains come.
I have decided to create a large scale indigo clay work on TianTaru’s land here. There is quite a magical place where the light filters into an open clearing surrounded by luscious jungle near the house. The clay is nearby and the conditions seem right.
Each time I am in a new environment I find myself faced with a new challenge. The day I begin, the monsoon rains fall and it is soon clear that I will be battling the arrival of the wet season here - especially within the microclimate up here. I am worried about how to build an earthen sculpture in these conditions and if it is even possible. Putu and Made tell me it is not ideal in the wet season, but it is possible.
It will be a much slower process than I thought initially and again I must tune into the environment in order to appreciate this. Again, I am going into the unknown. This is where the learning is.
‘Self portrait in Blue’
9 x 8 x 4cm indigo dyed clay. (unfired)
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9 x 8 x 4cm indigo dyed clay. (unfired)
‘Untitled’ (for Seba and Ayu)
10 x 9 x 4cm indigo dyed clay. (unfired)
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10 x 9 x 4cm indigo dyed clay. (unfired)
Tues 30 Oct 2024
Collection of small clay head experiments
I been shaping some small heads with the clay, experimenting with different textures, colours and finishes.
Each face is different despite seeking some form of uniformity. This seems to allow a level of play where some characters start to become real people. Whilst I shape these I am asking myself, who are you? as if they are faces from another age or time. I am allowing these faces to reveal themselves to me rather than me finding a specific character I have in mind.
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Collection of small clay head experiments
I been shaping some small heads with the clay, experimenting with different textures, colours and finishes.
Each face is different despite seeking some form of uniformity. This seems to allow a level of play where some characters start to become real people. Whilst I shape these I am asking myself, who are you? as if they are faces from another age or time. I am allowing these faces to reveal themselves to me rather than me finding a specific character I have in mind.
The clay finishes up a deep navy almost black which I am in love with. There is something so alluring about this tone, it has a depth almost space like reminding me of Junichirō Tanizaki’s 1934 essay In Praise of Shadows. Beauty in shadows: ‘We find beauty not in the thing itself but in the patterns of shadows, the light and the darkness, that one thing against another creates… Were it not for shadows, there would be no beauty’.
Mon 29 Oct 2024
Processing the clay and adding indigo
A hole is dug and cleared of stones and dirt, then filled with dry clay soil and processed with our feet by treading. A small amount of water can be added but it has a moisture content that seems to arrive naturally once worked - as if it is being activated and it’s been laying dormant, waiting to be brought back to life by human touch. I feel the clay is awaiting interaction, wanting to be given form, purpose and life. The clay is removed and left on banana leaves to cure for until tomorrow. It feels therapeutic. ‘I could do this forever’ says River (11 years old) to her Papa. there is a silence whilst we each resonate with the deeper truth within this statement.
Next we add 2kg of liquid indigo paste into the clay. The clay turns oily blue, a deep navy starts spreading into the fiery read earth and turning more and more into a kind of grey-green earthy blue, a colour I dont often come across, yet still so natural.
Sun 28 Oct 2024
Tian Taru : The Tree That Grows Between Heaven and Earth
I have been invited to the remote home of my friends Sebastian Mesdag and Ayu Purpa of TianTaru to experiement with indigo dyeing and scuplpting raw clay. The family live here on a farm overlooking an untouched valley where they grow assam indigo plant and host indigo dyeing workshops for artists.
Sebastian has invited old friend Pak Putu from the local village to share the traditional techniques of building with clay soil. Togerther they’d built a large clay wall togther 20 years ago that was still standing strong. As one of the village elders he has retained knowledge of the old ways which have been passed down. Many homes, walls and structures would have been made from the natural earth here previously, a few of which still remain in the surrounding villages.
18 Oct 2024
Trip to the island of Sumba
I started my trip out in Sumba where I was invited by my friend Avalon of Kalpataru. This island is an unbelieveably beautiful, remote and untouched part of the world.
The clay I found here close to the sea has a fiery red orange colour. When mixed with salt water the properties are great for building. Not much time to experiment. Time spent mostly out at sea. Must return.
After an inspiring year of change
I have decided to leave my studio back in the UK after 12 years to go travelling for the next 6 months where I will be developing my practice as an artist.
Currently I am in Bali, Indonesia where I plan to create work with wood and raw earth. Following on from an artist residency earlier this year with Arteles in Finland, I am keen to continue my experience of working in the natural environement and observing my relationship with nature.
Alongside me is fellow artist and musician Ben Khan of MoreHumanSystems. Together we will be documenting our journey through a series of film, movement, sound and sculpture.
In December Ben and I will be travelling to Sarawak, Borneo to live and create work alongside an indigenous community in the jungle.
I will use this section of my site to post a journal of notes which will be regularly updated.
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2023: ‘Geoglyphs’ solo show, Salt and Pepper, Tokyo, Japan
