Patillo Art Awards 2022/23
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With Plastic Arrows, we shot the Albatross 2022
A stoneware piece inspired by sarcophagi with hieroglyphics that tells the plight of plastics in the ocean and how this is affecting seabirds across the globe today. The Laysan Albatross is a species that is known to be particularly vulnerable to consuming plastics because of how it skims the ocean surface for food, eating floating plastics accidently leading to death. The images by photographer Manuel Maqueda are deeply disturbing and led me to create this sculpture in response to his seeing these photographs. The title of this piece references The Rime of the Ancient Mariner which talks of a curse placed on the sailor who shot the Albatross with a crossbow; I feel that we have cursed ourselves with the way we treat the ocean as a dumping ground for our waste. Here lies the Albatross with hieroglyphs of its demise inscribed on the vessel for which it lies at eternal rest. A story of how our rubbish led to the death of such this majestic seabird and how we should reflect on our own consumption which could end up the the stomach of an Albatross. |
Uku Clay Awards 2022
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Communication Tower: What are you receiving?
Coil Pot
2022
Coil Pot
2022
Award Exhibition Entries
Whanganui Arts in Review: A Survey of Past award Winners 2011 - 2021
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Seven haunting dogs that float like dark minded Jinn, each appearing with offerings. An introspective reflection reviewing the transformation of our everyday lives through unexpected changes. These new works were made during times of forced isolation, debates about mandates and the heavy clouds of uncertainty looming over the festivals of the future. Black clay seemed fitting for these dark days. The deceitful dogs appear with questionable remedies and coping mechanisms, a way of escapism or distraction from harsh realities of the present. Creating with black clay in the current covid environment feels to me like wearing appropriate mourning clothes.
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Patillo Art Awards 2021
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An unpleasant dream Will I wake up tomorrow? They have come for me Going to yonder I can see the clouds gather Where the winged cats fly |
She does not know how, but they found her was the entry for Patillo Arts Review 2021 and reflects on the overwhelming helplessness from being informed that time is running out; because now the winged spirits have come to take her on a journey from which she knows she will not return. Many of us have had loved ones who have been through a terminal diagnosis or are suffering from an incurable disease, we can only imagine what they are feeling; hearts ache, countless questions dart about in our minds, emotions are electric and thoughts are scattered, we are caught in a whirlpool of grief. It seems like an endless tunnel; trapped and dizzy with shock because we know life there after will never be the same without them. We don or brave faces and prepare for the road ahead. The relationship between the central mother figure and her two winged child-like guides reminds us of the mortal cycle of birth, life, and then death. It is something we all face, but it never easy to say goodbye.
Moa - Emerging Practitioner in Clay QUARTZ Museum of Studio Ceramics 2019Moa, one of the most iconic extinct flightless birds of New Zealand that was hunted to extinction many moons ago. Birds endemic to New Zealand have thrived for millions of years, but it only takes a few centuries of human activity to have such an impact on the environment that we unfortunately lose them forever.
There have been many conversations about de-extinction or the reviving of extinct animals such as the Moa by scientists, including an article by popular magazine the National Geographic, that ask us to consider how we would feel about the possibility of this phenomenon. Urns in ancient Egyptian tombs are vessels used to aid the transportation of the dead to the afterlife, but this urn is a vessel for loss and signifies that ashes to ashes and dust to dust are absolute; that the Moa has been laid to rest and there it shall remain. Their bones housed in museum collections are there for us to remember, so let the loss of these birds and other extinct animals be a lesson, a guide, a sacrifice to teach us, haunt us and signify change. We may be on the brink of de-extinction but that is a dangerous concept. The prevention of such tragedies should be the focus of humanity and not reanimation of the deceased. |
Patillo Arts Review 2020"He always wanted to fly away from this place, but he had lost faith in his wings" refers to the feeling of self doubt and trying to overcome anxiety. Sometimes I have this pull to make big things, risky things, installations. What is really great about open entry exhibitions such as the Arts Review is that it allows you to push yourself as a maker. You get a creative freedom card and a chance to gamble on your abilities and see what you can do; it doesn't always turn out as you visualize or plan but those hiccups are all part of the learning process.
Matching up ceramics and cast glass were two materials that could easily break each other if I was not careful about how I mounted them. Trying new risky things allows me to bank technical knowledge, figuring out what works and also having the courage to ask for help when I hit a roadblock. This work just managed to fit into a 10 cubic ft kiln with the height at 72 cm before firing. Thank you Ivan Vostinar! 
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