Cocoons

Annual Pit-fire

Cuisson en Fosse Annuelle

Helen Green Ceramix

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Cocoons

There is a certain ritual in a ceramic firing, especially in a pit-firing, a unique ceramic experience both participative and meditative, where considerable care and attention is brought to each step of the process. Just the colours are left to the whims of the fire. Each piece is white when it goes in but when it comes out it has been marked by elements animated in the flames, (wood, banana skins, copper and algae). The cooling process traps this tableau in the very pores of the pieces. These generally large bellied pots, such as ‘moon’ shaped jars, ‘Grand Trépieds’ and ‘Big Bang’ pots become ritualised objects, reflecting human struggles and endurance.