More Osmia Avosetta: + the Opening Night

More Osmia Avosetta:

+ the OPENING NIGHT - November 26, 2012

Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that I had a beehive
here inside my heart.
And the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
from my old failures.

-Antonio Machado-

This body of work is inspired by the small landscapes found within the forms of the Osmia Avosetta - a species of bee that crafts small nests by layering select petals between mud. Buried underground, these forms house a single larvae - created by a single bee. Over a period of months these constructs provide protection, until the larvae is fully developed, upon which the home is discarded and slowly dissolves.

The resulting jewellery and holloware pieces are an attempt to re-describe these natural artifacts. Within most pieces lie fluid folds of textile that are contrasted with sharp lines of metal. Each peppered with bright hits of colour - as they resolve - my interpretations, informed by my own environments. But as inspirations the Osmia Avosetta began to change as I observed, they really more than just beautiful objects they were the results of effort and labour - much like I was attempting - truthful leftovers, found beautiful, abandoned and decaying.

The installation was made of hundreds of doilies, dipped in ceramic slip and kiln fired. As each piece of textile was fired, each stitch was burned away, leaving in its place fragile memories of both labour and lace. My intention for the ceramic field was that it be crushed, broken underfoot. Each of these objects, like us, are merely temporary. I invited viewers to walk across this sea of ceramic - asking only that they observe, celebrate and mourn the hours of labour that these objects represent, reveling in the static and active beauty of their decay.