Jack Balfour, Moon Jar no.9, 2022

This grouping of vessels is a constructed reflection of Melbourne’s past through transformed material. The unearthed fragments were selected for their chemical properties which would respond best through the heat work and firing atmospheres of the ceramic process. Materials including rust, copper wire and basalt provided dramatic colour responses. With glass, slate, mud oysters giving coarse textural surfaces. Local clay from North and West Melbourne have been introduced to further connect these vessels to Melbourne. By repeating the forms and varying glaze materials collectively they form a chemical survey of what was unearthed from beneath Melbourne.

Jack Balfour is a potter and founder of Neo Ceramics based in North Melbourne. His practice balances functional and sculptural craft and often draws literally and figuratively from the built and natural environment. Balfour often uses local clays from construction sites, bottle glass, discarded bluestone and ash to formulate glazes and colour clay bodies to establish a sense of connection to place through material and process. He has a particular interest of Korean forms from the Joseon Dynasty and Chinese celadon and Chun glazes from the Song Dynasty.

UNEARTHED

Featuring: Ruby Aitchison, Claire McArdle, Jack Balfour, Juan Castro, Dale Hardiman with ACV studio, Jenna Lee, Tantri Mustika and Iluka Sax-Williams with Dan Bowran.

Burnt, fired, melted down, and re-imagined. Ten artists transform discarded archaeological fragments uncovered from the Metro Tunnel Project’s dig sites in a new exhibition at Craft this October.

Material: Wheel thrown porcelain in chun and magnesia with vaporised copper wire.

Dimensions: 10 cm (H) x 10 cm (W)