The Speak Vase

"My work is a bringing together of contrasts – wet and dry, wriggling and still, sharp edges and blunt forms. Each design is made up of two parts: the wriggling, moving part and the base. The bases of each design are still and squeeze and constrict their more decorative, sometimes bodily-ambiguous, counterparts. Each design is the product of an evolution of my visual language, developed over several years. The bringing together of the plain circle or oval with the femininely sensual is a device used to show the qualities of each, and to create a tension between them. I am appropriating architectural, decorative forms and using them to create objects that have a light hearted sensuality, that move away from the formal rigidity of architecture, and into irregularity.

Many of the designs have female names. I want to highlight an alignment with certain personality qualities that various names bring to mind – Barbara, Imelda, Vivien……

There is also a humour to this way of titling, an element of the ridiculous, but also an element of sophistication. My work emulates this coupling of humour with sophistication and tries to exist where these two meet, creating an elegant style that sometimes teeters on the edge of vulgarity. The exploration of clay is probably the most important aspect of this work. As I see it, an object I have made is best when it crystallises the liquidity of clay in the final ceramic. The glazes I use are chosen because they enhance this sense of water and flow. This work is not an allegory and does not have a scripted narrative; it is instead the result of an intuitive enquiry into clay, using a visual language that is gradually unfolding with each piece made." Jo Davies