make-it-wales

Kirsty Prior a Coleg Sir Gar ceramic graduate is showcasing her work at New Designers at the Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street N1, London between 27^th & 30^th June.


I create figurative ceramic sculptures representing and evoking native wild animals. Many of the pieces are a cathartic expression of the sadness felt about witnessing road-kill. This literal collision between the natural world and modernity has become strangely inspiring. Broader themes that underpin the work are the materiality, decay, destruction and rejuvenation of the natural world. The work also aims to capture some of the movement, energy and spirit of the selected creatures. In essence the work can be seen as a strange tribute and acknowledgement of both the sadness and beauty of their life and death.

The materials and processes I employ are essential to the integrity of my work. This is evident in the surface quality and methods of display in both the vitrines and Hare sculptures. I use and fire found animal bones together with handbuilt figurative clay elements, enjoying the interaction and contrast of both materials. A key element to the work is using primitive firing methods within the landscape. This process is integral to my creative practice, further embedding a sustainable and free-spirited way of working. The use of bones themselves within the actual firing and making of the sculptures have an older symbolism that references the Hare sacrificed by fire in agricultural crop stubble burning.