David Austin 'Kitiakitanga', Sculptural Vessel

David Austin is a ceramic artist/designer who makes in New Zealand, Australia and England. David is primarily a RAKU maker. This process involves raku clay which is able to withstand the sudden heat change in a gas fired raku kiln. All pieces are bisque fired first and then subjected to heat and then oxidised in a smoke chamber producing an endless array of surface finishes. Austin has New Zealand Maori ancestry and explores Maori concepts such as 'Kitiakitanga' - a concept of looking after our environment and everything in it ; 'Whakapapa',  the concept that we are the product of all of ancestors and should acknowledge this. 

—

Material: raku, black sand, aluminium, glazes

Dimensions: approx. 39 x 24cm