“I make soda-fired porcelain forms that contain the qualities of art and utensil. Archetypal forms are touchstones in my practice; vessels made for a contemporary context can be solitary and contemplative or ceremonial, for everyday or a special occasion. I question the functional nature of objects.”
Jack describes himself as being interested in the 'particular usefulness of things', the sense of an object as being something which has a function in the world. Challenging the rules of refinement and containment through the fluidity and energy of his work Jack's soda-fired vessels are embedded with ancient stories and contemporary narratives. They create an intervention with domestic space and daily life. No longer purely utilitarian, these abstract vessels do not conform to conventional use questioning their place in the world.
My work is concerned with function but not necessarily utility. I am intrigued and inspired by the potency of archetypal vessel forms. Anonymous and uncomplicated pots from pre-history used for storing, cooking and keeping people safe through winters and giving protection in the everyday world can also function in other ways. I see them as figurative objects. As guardians of emotion and connectors with the spiritual, I want my work to inhabit our domestic spaces in the light, shadow and darkness with qualities that neither painting or abstract sculpture can.
I live with ceramic vessels. Their forms and volume, edges and textures spill from the studio into every room. In these intimate living spaces the pots speak for themselves, displayed on ledges windowsills and mantelpieces, made in direct response to the architectural spaces of my home and studio.
My recent projects such as Place in the World, Waypoint and Living Space ask questions about the place of contemporary ceramics in our changing world.
“For our house is our corner of the world. As has often been said it is our first experience of the universe, a real cosmos in every sense of the word.”
