6th July – 3rd August 2024
Caroline Winn presents a collection of ceramic vessels, which draw on narratives around migration and trade and uses salt as a metaphor.
Speaking about the work, Caroline Winn says:
‘I am fascinated by salt and for me, it has many profound associations. Salt has been traded across huge distances peacefully by many cultures for thousands of years – migrant journeys which would be impossible today across borders. I first encountered this in the Australian indigenous people who evaporated salt onto sticks which could be carried long distances between tribes.’
‘Humans and animals can not exist without salt. It is vital to health but also toxic in too large a quantity – a sought-after commodity that has been taxed to fund states as well as sometimes a weapon of environmental destruction in periods of strife. It is a material that can dissolve and reform limitless times and is found universally around the world in every culture.’
‘The Salt Series pieces are the outcome of a multi-stage process. I started by growing large salt crystals using salts from around the world which were then captured in 3D images. These were 3D printed into enlarged maquettes and then finally plaster moulds that therefore faithfully depict the shape of salt crystals even though the large scale has meant they become ambiguous.’
‘The pots themselves are inspired by the form of the traditional Korean Moon Jar, but I have increasingly taken an expressive and intuitive approach, pushing the materiality of the clay and the boundaries of what is possible, while enjoying the incredible versatility and tactile nature of clay and glazing. They are all hand built and the majority were fired to 1300c in wood-fired kilns, for which I travelled to Denmark (where I had a residency at the Guldagergaard International Ceramics Research Centre) and then nearer to home on Dartmoor to use traditional wood-fired kilns. Salt and soda are cast into the kiln in the final stages to produce unique ash and salt glazes.’
Tremenheere Gallery is open Tuesday – Saturday, 11am – 4pm. There will be an opening event on Saturday 6th July, midday – 2pm. Entry to Tremenheere Gallery is FREE. The works will be exhibited in the lower gallery, alongside paintings by Hannah Woodman, while at the same time the upper gallery will present Catharine Armitage.