Rebecca Steedman
The weight of things
Space M
18 June — 4 July 2020
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This body of work exploits the potential of clay, in its raw, unfired (malleable) state, to capture the surfaces and impact of movement and falling. For example, measuring the height of the gallery through a series of falling cups. Original forms begin as cups, bowls, vases and plates, all common domestic ware forms — those recognisable to people from daily use. These (often failed, broken, having lost their traditional function) ceramics become sculptural, and absurdly reference the moment of impact which re-shaped them. An initial inspiration was geological: a small amount of found clay retrieved from rail developments in the local area is included within the glazes. These rail developments unearth rocks and minerals that reference significant shifts within the earth’s crust over vast periods of time, which we use to understand the historic and ongoing formation of our landscapes. The Weight of Things explores the immediate surfaces within and around the gallery. At the heart of it all, the key interest is in the investment we have in daily objects in communicating abstract ideas or qualities... the funny way we try and capture and explain the world around us through another form..