Created during my artist residency in the Tuscan hills at Villa Lena in summer 2023, this collection is themed around unity and growing together. Exploring the idea of joining opposites to create harmony and balance, I united two bodies of clay, dark and light, to form one sculpture by intertwining, braiding and chaining parts together. Some pieces in the collection focus on the contrast between glazed and unglazed clay, bringing together two parts that appear to have a chasm between them.

Using the architecture and design of the villa as a starting point; tall columns, twisted ropes and contrasting floor tiles, I experimented with how these could create new forms. I took inspiration from elements of the architecture in Florence and Siena - the dark and light geometric features of the exterior of Basilica di Santa Maria Novella and the contrasting stripes of the Duomo Di Siena. Although these buildings were first designed and built over 700 years ago, these aspects of the structures have a contemporary aesthetic. This encouraged me to bring together classic ideas and abstract shapes, old and new, to further push this idea of bringing opposites together both visually and conceptually.