Handbuilt Ceramic Installation, 11 pieces (various coloured clays) fired to stoneware temperatures: raw outside, glazed inside
Variable 60cm x 60cm
The ‘Breathing Grounds’ installation, echoing pneumatophores, the breathing roots of the mangroves of the Barwon River, that grow towards the sky and supply oxygen to the water in the seasonal shifts and the tides.
The 11 handbuilt ceramic vessels, made of different combinations of stoneware clay, of various heights and widths, lure’s people into the installation. It invites people to move around the installation, seeing the breathing grounds from various angles, immersing themselves in its shadows, noting the hierarchy of order, the older more maternal forms, seemingly protecting the younger ones, who are still ‘growing up’.
Inspiration for this installation came from many walks along the board walk along the Barwon River in Barwon Heads, at different times of the day and weather conditions. Watching the tides come in and out, exposing the mangrove roots and then seeing them covered completely, twice a day. The mangroves are home and protection for lots of fish and river creatures at the junction between salt and freshwater flows. The increased freshwater flow in the winter season lowers the salinity in the mangroves, which can stress salt-tolerant crabs but creates breeding grounds for many fish. These structures embody resilience and adaptation to shifting conditions. Their textured surfaces recall the slow accumulation of time, each ridge a marker of survival through rhythms of abundance and scarcity.
Breathing Grounds - Karen Steenbergen
Karen Steenbergen from karst ceramics is a ceramic artist and teacher, who captures the feel of the rugged Surf Coast where she lives and works and the beloved snow-capped High Plains where she takes comfort. Karen regularly exhibits widely and recently completed a large commission for the Geelong Gallery Store and is represented in art collections in Australia, Scandinavia and Europe and has recently completed several artist residencies in Denmark. These residencies have provided dedicated time to explore the coastal areas of Scandinavia together with a study of the Danish culture of ‘Hygge' (cosiness, health and wellbeing) of the rituals of coming together to share a meal around the kitchen table. With awe for the seasonal shifts in these landscapes, Karen explores the natural, colours and textures of her natural environment in her sculptural installations and functional ware and renders them onto vessels and installations in an attempt to immerse the viewer into the scene.