Claire Ellis
Claire Ellis — 'Australian fossil fuel subsidies costing taxpayers $65 billion a year: IMF', recycled earthenware and second life basalt', 2023
To stay engaged with the climate emergency without getting stuck in despair or outrage I need to plan and make work about the most unbearable information. This work encompasses my material research and development addressing social and environmental challenges in the ceramic industry and climate politics. It’s now well documented that mitigating climate change requires political action, not individual behavior change. A tongue in cheek reference to Australian Slang, Triple Cooked features three coil-built vessels made of recycled clay, named after three recent climate headlines. They’re glazed using only reclaimed landscaping basalt. The same rock is broken into pieces, tumbled and molded into each vessel before a single firing. This work is inspired by the aesthetics of fossil fuels, in particular coal rocks and deformed landscapes. It aims to spread political awareness using the moments of pause and curiosity created by innovative craftsmanship. – Claire Ellis
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Claire Ellis (She/Her), Naarm/Melbourne. Claire's former career as a chef influences her work through a focus on raw materials and experimentation. Her research focuses on incorporating transformed 'waste' materials into her work including glass, plastic, eggshells, ceramic sink trap waste, broken ceramics and rock by-products. Her current art practice explores avenues for environmentalism, activism and catharsis in ceramics.
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Triple Cooked
Vitrine Gallery
November 7 – December 9
Materials: recycled earthenware and second life basalt
Dimensions: approx. 66 x 26cm