Emmeline Smaczny

BA (Hons) Ceramics & Glass

Theme

Instagram: @emmeline_smaczny_ceramics

Concerned with seeking the harmonies within opposites, my work explores the emotional territory of my lived experiences through metaphorical narratives embedded within the surfaces of my ceramics.

In this collection of My Stories, there are 3 themes to illustrate some significant moments of my life.

This trilogy was made with the techniques of saggar-firing in an electric kiln, porcelain slip casting, hand building and the rice-grain (Ling Long) glaze application. They are titled as “Young Me” for those happy memories in my youth, “Hurt Bore Wisdom” for my wisdom gained from the ups and downs during my early adulthood, and “Heart as Still Water (心如止水) Teapot” for my calm and peaceful mindset at my present age.

My Stories - “Hurt Bore Wisdom”

"Hurt Bore Wisdom" is one of the trilogy reflecting my learnings through various challenges in my early middle-age. The stabbing cuts illustrate the hurts while the scorched key marks represent the wisdom gained.

"Hurt Bore Wisdom" consists of vessels with cuts to illustrate the hurts and key marks made by the burnt copper wire during the saggar-firing process to represent the wisdom gained.

"Hurt Bore Wisdom" is an arrangement of seven Saggar-fired porcelain slip casted heart-shaped vessels; using various of combustible elements to create the colours and marks on the surface.

"Heart as Still Water" is a composition of a human-heart shaped teapot standing on a base with water pattern. It depicts my current state of mind as calm as still water after retirement and enjoying my ceramic creation. This work is made of porcelain, slip casted and decorated with rice-grain (Ling Long) pattern.

“Young Me” illustrates my happy memories when I was young. This is made of porcelain using slip casting and hand building techniques, together with the rice-grain (Ling Long) pattern decoration representing my cultural heritage.

BA (Hons) Ceramics & Glass

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