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Details
- Date
- 2018
- Media category
- Ceramic
- Materials used
- natural sericite porcelain stone, “black pepper blue” porcelain body with limestone and wood ash glaze
- Dimensions
- 10.2 x 20.1 x 19.7 cm
- Signature & date
Signed ‘SH’, stamped. Not dated.
- Credit
- Purchased with funds provided by the Vicki Grima Ceramics Fund and the Mollie Douglas Bequest 2020
- Location
- Not on display
- Accession number
- 102.2020
- Copyright
- © Steve Harrison
- Artist information
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Steve Harrison
Works in the collection
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About
Steve Harrison’s ceramics take simple forms - specifically bowls and cups as a vehicle through which to articulate concerns around ceramic history, the environment, and a way of life based upon trying to touch the ground lightly. His research into kiln and clay technology has led him to a simplification of production and sourcing of materials that strips ceramics back to its origins.
His important series of bowls known as '5 stones' are made from the five naturally occurring sources of porcelain in the world: Jingdezhen, China; Yanggu, Korea; Arita, Japan; Cornwall, UK and Mittagong, Australia. Harrison's investigations into these sources stretch over 15 years, from 2002 to 2017. He is interested in the origins of these porcelain sources, specifically centred around a rock called serecite, which is ground and processed into a clay body without additives. It is this sourcing and pressing, and the making of the work near the source which is of interest to Harrison. Workng on the idea of sustainability, works are made from a 50-kilometre-wide palette of materials, not only for clay and glaze materials such as local rocks, shales, gravels and ash, but also the wood that fires the kiln.
This work was made onsite in Bangsan at the Yanggu Porcelain Museum from the local, ancient, natural sericite porcelain deposit. The glaze was developed by the Museum director, Mr Jung DuSub, to emulate the ancient pot shards. The pale blue celadon style glaze developed a very fine black speckle which shows well in the deep foot of this bowl.
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Exhibition history
Shown in 1 exhibition
Open Studio (brick vase clay cup jug), Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 01 Jul 2023–07 Jan 2024