Can You Hear Them?, 2023

Keene's Black midfire clay, Clayworks stoneware/earthenware midfire mix, Walker's white stoneware. Black mid-fire slip. MDF disc, sound component.

Dimensions variable, 115 cm MDF disk. 1:50 min audio recording (played on loop).

Can You Hear Them draws on ideas of the drain, as a representation of the void, and thalassophobia – the fear of deep bodies of water, terror, and the unknown. The work is influenced by horror stories and films, especially Stephen King’s It and works by Japanese horror manga artist Junji Ito, alongside my own fear of drains and deep, dark spaces. The installation consists of over twenty dark ceramic forms accompanied by an eerie audio component. The title of the work refers to the eldritch entity (or entities) that may reside within these portals, the sounds of which can be heard reverberating through the work. If you look down into these pockets of the abyss, notice that some contain water, others are dry. All are dark as the abyss. It is waiting. They are somewhere, looking back at you. I invite viewers to make up their own personal interpretations of my work. So, I ask, “Can You Hear Them?”

Thank you to my family and friends for all the support and making sure I looked after myself and stayed sane throughout this past year. Big thank you to Jo Crawford, Sam Gold, Matt Huppatz and Frances Barrett for helping me in the studio and supporting the development of my art practice.