Collection: Harry Stieven-Dalton

@deepinthewell
harrystieven-dalton.com

When considering the environmental and social implications of the ceramic process it is paramount that the artist acknowledges land through art. Through my work the material qualities of place are highlighted and celebrated. Raw earthen elements are refined and transformed to suit new aesthetic visions informed by natural characteristics of specific environments. Textural and formal choices are informed through close observation of land from which materials are taken. In this way the resulting ceramic works act as a material link between the artist's experience of geography and celebration of the natural world. The engagement between artist and material is further re-contextualised within a new political framework that reinforces ideas of possession and land use.  In sourcing raw earthen materials by hand these issues are compacted and intensified. Therefore it is through material sensitivity that respect for land is intimately realised and acknowledged through my work.