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Fiery Transformation: Knotweed Structure A series of ceramic sculptures created through fire performance

"Knotweed Structure" is a series of large, outdoor ceramic sculptures inspired by the Japanese knotweed. The sculptures are created using extruded clay tubes, with the heat from the fire channeled through the tubes to create an organic appearance like a fossilized piece of organic tissue or a small temple. The sculptor builds the piece a month before the firing, allowing it to become bone-dry, and then wraps it in ceramic felt before slowly igniting it in a firing chamber with wood. The work is fired in situ as a performance, taking approximately a day, and the insulating ceramic felt is removed at the end to reveal the red-hot sculpture standing in the twilight. The heat of the flame burns and melts the clay, darkening areas exposed to the most heat. The resulting sculpture remains as a permanent relic of the performance, with the sculpture and fire serving as collaborative participants.

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