Synergy - Ceramic Forms

Synergy is a large-scale ceramic wall sculpture. Inspired by a shoreline in the Burren, Co. Clare – it is the synergy of soft & hard, water & rock, stillness & rage, light & shade that inspires the piece.

Clay/works 2018 – Ceramics Ireland exhibition at The Printworks in Dublin Castle.
It featured at Sculpture in Context at Oldbridge House in 2017, Drogheda, Co. Louth.
Sculpture at the Castle 2016 at Blarney Castle & Gardens, Co. Cork (22 pieces).
Irish Ceramic Awards 2016 at the Mill Cove Gallery in Kenmare, Co. Kerry (3 pieces).
Irish Contemporary Ceramics Exhibition 2016 – The Barony Centre, Craft Town Scotland (3 pieces).
It was originally exhibited at Sculpture in Context 2015, at The National Botanic Gardens, Dublin.

Dimensions: overall 3.4m x 1m

(11′ 2″ x 3′ 3″)

Overall Price: €8,500 Euro (25 pieces) [$10,000 USD]

Priced individually from €250 – €650 Euro each.

* Dublin Castle: €4,750 Euro (13 pieces) & priced individually from €250 – €475 Euro each.

Available for sale.

My inspiration

syn·er·gy (sĭn′ər-jē)
noun

The creation of a whole that is greater than the simple sum of its parts.
The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects.

The Burren landscape is a synergy of glaciation, geology, erosion, weathering and of course time – millions of years of time. There is a synergy too in ceramics – the interaction of clay, water, heat, and time leads to the creation of a new material.

A number of years ago I came across an extraordinary piece of shoreline in the Burren near Fanore in Co. Clare. The erosion of the sea on the ‘soft’ limestone rocks had created the most amazing seascape.

Inspiration from the shoreline in the Burren near Fanore in Co. Clare, Ireland. The erosion of the Atlantic Ocean on the ‘soft’ limestone rocks had created the most amazing seascape. www.ceramicforms.com

The rocks were harsh and hard but they also had a soft quality – they seemed to fold back on themselves like fabric. It was as if the rocks were slowly melting back into the sea. This synergy of soft and hard, water and rock, stillness and rage, light and shade was the main inspiration for this sculpture.

I think about this Burren seashore a lot; not least because on a number of occasions I have returned to the area but have not located the same beach. Oh there are rocks and beaches but not those soft, melted rocks – if I hadn’t photographed them myself I’d think I dreamt of this place!

How was it made?

Synergy is a hand-built and modelled ceramic wall sculpture which I hope reflects the wonderful undulations in this rockscape. Each of the 25 pieces of sculpture was uniquely formed in the ‘soft-slabbing’ method to represent the immediacy of the ‘folded’ rocks.

It was constructed using a grogged crank clay body and was high fired in an electric kiln to 1280°C (Cone 9 or 2340 °F). The blue-green glaze is one I developed over 10 years ago, it combines multiple layers of glazes which at stoneware temperatures melt and ‘flux’ to create a stunning ceramic surface. This reactive glaze responds to the folded surfaces in the clay – making each piece completely unique.

Studio Process, soft-slab wall piece, leather-hard. Ceramic wall sculpture Synergy by Michelle Maher. Inspired by a shoreline in the Burren, Co. Clare, Ireland. The synergy of soft & hard, water & rock, stillness & rage, light & shade is the inspiration for the piece. Hand sculpted and modelled in a crank stoneware clay & later electric fired to 1260°C. www.ceramicforms.com

About ‘Sculpture in Context’

Ceramic wall sculpture Synergy by Michelle Maher. Shown here at Sculpture in Context 2015 at The National Botanic Gardens. Inspired by a shoreline in the Burren, Co. Clare, Ireland. The synergy of soft & hard, water & rock, stillness & rage, light & shade is the inspiration for the piece. Hand sculpted and modelled in a crank stoneware clay & electric fired to 1260°C. 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.

Thirty 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 160 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.

Provisional dates for 2016 – 8th September – 22nd October 2016 (TBC).