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5. Usagi Ceramics
Soon We Will Bloom
Ceramics, floral arrangements
L150 x H200-300 mm
www.usagiceramics.com
︎usagiceramics
Alana Casey is a Melbourne-based artist and founder of Usagi Ceramics. Alana's ceramics roots began in her old home of Tokyo, where she was heavily influenced by the accessibility and respect of handmade objects. Now making and teaching pottery in Melbourne, Alana focuses on elegant functional ware for the everyday home. Using Australian stoneware and porcelain, Usagi Ceramics combines refined forms with luminous and vibrant glazes. Integrating quality and usability with design, Usagi Ceramics aims to elevate our daily rituals and foster a sense of pride and belonging in our homes.
This installation is a series of ceramic kenzan bowls (which were made before lockdown) that house flowers and plants inspired by the streetscape of Kensington. It is a floral display and an artistic interpretation of the gardens and streets that we walk past everyday.
This artwork addresses the current crisis and roadmap theme in two ways. Firstly it acknowledges the hardship that many artists face during the pandemic. For many artists like myself, everytime we go into lockdown, our practice completely stops. Creative studios are not allowed to open, cutting ceramicists off from the machinery needed to complete their work. Therefore lockdown-six has brought a period of stagnation to the production of ceramics. My installation addresses this by using ceramics that were completed in May 2021; the last time my practice had a sense of flow and production.
By combining these “old” works with the blooming flowers of Kensington, my installation acknowledges the continuation of life, despite the restraints of lockdown. With the arrival of spring, flowers are returning to our streets, giving colour, sweet scents and a renewed sense to life to the banality of our daily walks. By using spring flowers in my floral arrangements I hope to give our residents a concentrated blast of beauty and instill a sense of hope that we too, will soon be able to bloom.
Soon We Will Bloom
Ceramics, floral arrangements
L150 x H200-300 mm
www.usagiceramics.com
︎usagiceramics
Alana Casey is a Melbourne-based artist and founder of Usagi Ceramics. Alana's ceramics roots began in her old home of Tokyo, where she was heavily influenced by the accessibility and respect of handmade objects. Now making and teaching pottery in Melbourne, Alana focuses on elegant functional ware for the everyday home. Using Australian stoneware and porcelain, Usagi Ceramics combines refined forms with luminous and vibrant glazes. Integrating quality and usability with design, Usagi Ceramics aims to elevate our daily rituals and foster a sense of pride and belonging in our homes.
This installation is a series of ceramic kenzan bowls (which were made before lockdown) that house flowers and plants inspired by the streetscape of Kensington. It is a floral display and an artistic interpretation of the gardens and streets that we walk past everyday.
This artwork addresses the current crisis and roadmap theme in two ways. Firstly it acknowledges the hardship that many artists face during the pandemic. For many artists like myself, everytime we go into lockdown, our practice completely stops. Creative studios are not allowed to open, cutting ceramicists off from the machinery needed to complete their work. Therefore lockdown-six has brought a period of stagnation to the production of ceramics. My installation addresses this by using ceramics that were completed in May 2021; the last time my practice had a sense of flow and production.
By combining these “old” works with the blooming flowers of Kensington, my installation acknowledges the continuation of life, despite the restraints of lockdown. With the arrival of spring, flowers are returning to our streets, giving colour, sweet scents and a renewed sense to life to the banality of our daily walks. By using spring flowers in my floral arrangements I hope to give our residents a concentrated blast of beauty and instill a sense of hope that we too, will soon be able to bloom.