Description Bowl 2: Waves Far From Dull Ceramics (Helen Timperley), Scotland Size: 15cm x 15cm x 19cm tall THIS ARTWORK SHIPS FROM THE UK. PLEASE CHECK ANY CUSTOM FEES WITH MAY APPLY IN YOUR COUNTRY. THANK YOU. Ceramic bowl with a wave design, woven with marine rope debris, stitched with separated strands of the marine rope; with decorative fishes made of glass beads. As Ocean Tails is an underwater themed exhibition celebrating the beauty and wonder of our seas, the first stage in the creation of these pieces was to do a beach visit to collect some materials! St Combs in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, is a is a small fishing village that has existed since at least the 17th century, and takes its name from a church to St Colm (or Columba) that used to exist in the area and was abandoned in 1607. The bonny bay is backed by a series of grassy dunes and has a micro-climate with reputedly the most sunshine, but is also buffeted by sea-storms – so as I had hoped, I managed to get some nice washed up debris to work with! Both in the form of kelp and other seaweeds, as well as marine rope debris. Once home this material was sorted, washed and hung to dry for 6 weeks. In the meantime, I threw 4 different ceramic bowls in stoneware clay, with different profiles, but all with holes around the rim to accept weaving of the beachcombed material. The glazing of each of the 4 bowls was considered based on the design of the bowl and the planned material to be woven onto it. For example the bowl with the fish scale design had multiple layers of glazes applied to enhance the ‘look’ of the scales, and the bowl with the waves had specific glaze application to try and show movement in the waves. Once the ceramic bowls were complete and the foraged material ready for weaving, the process of combining the two commenced – this took its own shape on each bowl as the weaving developed, lead by the textures of the materials being woven. The intentionality of each piece as it was being woven was important – to try and weave a ‘story’ into each piece. The bowl with the ships portholes and the patched sail feels like a story in the Victorian steampunk style, with intrepid explorers on an adventure… The bowl with the wave pattern and the woven net with beaded fishes shows the gleaming fish jumping in the waves as a fisherman is trying to catch their supper; as well as having an underlying message about the amount of marine debris from lost fishing equipment at sea and the damage this is having on marine ecosystems. The bowl with the fish scales and the ruffled seaweed collar invokes a sea creature from the deep; and the bowl with the cockle shell pattern and the handle feels like something that a young innocent heroine could be skipping along with, collecting shells on the beach at the start of their story…
