Ceramic sculptures in the Dublin Hills

I was inspired to create a series of porcelain ceramic sculptures that I felt echo the natural beauty I see up in the hills overlooking Dublin. I made a video of my ceramic installation and called it “ Nature’s Window”. The birdsong was recorded during the early part of the lockdown this year in May 2020 in the exact same spot when I was struck by their beautiful calling above me. The tall trees stand all around like people gathering to watch a show. The natural opening in the trees struck me when i first saw it, it was like a window on the busy city of Dublin below. The trees on either side acting like guardians of the window. My series of sculptural pieces hang invisibly swaying and turning in the breeze, revealing glimpses of the city unfolding below us. I like to think that Natures Window is looking down on our daily lives, our daily problems and responding with birdsong. The porcelain pieces are circular in nature and this is a reflection of the circular nature of our lives and of nature itself which is constantly changing and turning , nothing stays the same. I liked that my sculptural pieces swayed and turned and adapted to the environment and added another dimension to natures own window which had been formed in the forest. I hope people are inspired when viewing the piece to stop and reflect on life and its simple beauty as i have done.

I collected pine cones from these very trees earlier in the year and i coated them in porcelain slip, high fired them and interwove them into some of the ceramic sculptures as I wanted to have part of the trees physically incorporated into the sculptures to aid their earthing to that spot. Porcelain clay is itself of the earth and its a fitting material to use when creating sculptural pieces to sit in a natural environment.

I would like to thank all my family for all their help putting this together, and most especially my husband Mark. Thanks also to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Council Arts Dept for all their support.

I hope people like the video installation and let me know your thoughts.