120° - Ceramic Forms

120°is a large-scale ceramic wall sculpture. My inspiration for this piece comes from reoccuring polygon patterns in nature – pentagons, hexagons, heptagons. From pollen grains to coral – we often see these formations. (See below for full inspiration story.)

The work is deeply textured to reflect the intricacies we see in these forms in nature. These pieces were individually hand built and modelled in a stoneware clay body. No two pieces are the same.

120° was exhibited at Sculpture in Context 2018 in the indoor gallery space of the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin.

Dimensions: overall 72cm H x 165 cm W x 5 cm D.

Available for Sale and priced individually from €350 to €850 each.

Overall Price: €9,000 (15 pieces).

My inspiration story

“Everything is what it is, because it got that way.”

D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson – On Growth and Form, 1917.

♥

“Everything is what it is, because it got that way.” D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson (On Growth and Form, 1917.)

A number of years I was working in a primary school on a collaborative art project.

We were studying Fibonacci numbers as our starting inspiration. I asked the children – why do we see these repeating sequences/patterns in nature?

“It’s just what works” – a ten-year-old answered!

D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson would be proud!

Across the animal, plant and physical world – nature has reoccuring formations.

There is no single theory as to why. No single law of pattern formation.

Physics, chemistry, biochemistry, mechanics, genetic memory, evolution, maths – all carry answers and of course there are those who see evidence of an intelligent designer.

Personally, the science of it all is what I find fascinating.

I love how there can be order to a pattern, yet it may not fit into exact mathematical symmetry.

Nature is unafraid of disorder, of chaos – yet it has remarkable precision too.

The dichotomy of the two sits comfortably together.

Why is the piece called 120°?

So this piece is a study of certain polygons in nature – pentagons, hexagons, heptagons etc.

From the micro to the macro – in coral, bubbles, pollen grains, nests, honeycombs, seeds, rocks, eggs, marine life, fungi, the very cells that organisms develop from – we often see these polygons – regular and irregular in form.

Why do we see them? A simple answer is: it’s just what works!

We know for instance, that the hexagon formations in a honeycomb make the best use of space. As D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson said, “…it is what it is, because it got that way.”

Where we see a formation of hexagons in nature, they will all have junctions with an angle of 120°. Even in a more irregular structure with a combination of pentagon, hexagon & heptagon formations – all have junctions with angles of about 120°.

Physics, maths and biochemistry easily combine to do what works.

About ‘Sculpture in Context’

Ceramic water sculpture - 'Synthesis' by Michelle Maher. Shown here at Sculpture in Context 2016 at The National Botanic Gardens in Dublin. Inspired by Fungi and Coral forms, it was sculpted in my own grogged paper clay body and high fired in an electric kiln to Cone 8. www.ceramicforms.com

“As you weave your way through the garden, you will discover sculptures in the most unexpected and surprising places. Ranging in size and materials, these works of art represent the richly diverse character of Irish and International contemporary sculpture today.”

Sculpture in Context is the largest and most prestigious outdoor sculpture exhibition in Ireland. Established in 1985 by a group of sculptors, their aim was to work on behalf of fellow sculptors to provide space for exhibiting work of sculpture in venues outside of their normal gallery context.

More than 30 years on and Sculpture in Context has gone from strength to strength. Since 2002, the show has made its home in the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin which is annually transformed into a living art gallery.

Artists’ ingenuity, contemporary art and Mother Nature are wonderfully combined here and as the seasons change from summer to autumn, visitors are given a reason to return again and again to see the sculptures and the garden in ever changing conditions.

Sculpture receives a spectacular presentation in the Garden, which is laid out in a variety of settings including glasshouses, ponds and foliage – winding through the 50 acres of landscaped grounds. With over 150 sculptures, this is the most exciting outdoor sculpture exhibition in Ireland.

The show runs from the first week in September to the third week in October every year.