Ceramic figurines are one place in which European culture digests its own fantasies. These figures often presented things that a culture was proud of in a size that will fit into a modest house. Sort of like a trophy but less personal. Not "good job you've done it!" but a dreamy nod that "yes, all these good things, you can take some small part in them too." The fantasies of post-enlightenment culture worked out along classical templates, using new industrial ceramic techniques to bring myth and alegory in miniature onto the mantlepieces of the middle class. While these dynamics have not changed, the substance of aspiration has. Not only does the average British family value different things than it did fifty or more years ago, the material of the ceramic figurine has largely lost its place as a treasured domestic item. These days, they can look a bit old and frumpy. But ceramics do not break down and age quickly, preserving those fantasies and aspirations of an earlier time. Like little time capsules, they go on living, shining, often looking good as new, for generations, projecting the pride and domestic contentment of an earlier time. In several works including this one, I was interested in what these objects bring with them historically, and how they related to contemporary infrastructure.
ceramics, brick, coal, cow bone, birch twigs, thread, mimosa flowers
23 x 94 x 15 cm
2024