The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 52 No 3 November 2013

Clare Twomey, Plymouth Porcelain: a new collection
2012, Plymouth Museum and Art Gallery, UK
Detail
Clare Twomey
The use of terms is a malleable state; the definition of terms has been a harbor for stagnation within the
crafts and its fluidity into wider practice and context, so the definition of a term that is within flux is a
welcome situation. As far as the term ecology, this can be viewed as the study of interactions; my work
bares this out rather than using it as a starting point. The starting point may be a very changeable place
from work to work.
Question 2
VJ: Ceramics and clay as art materials bring with them much historical and cultural meaning. Are the
traditions and associations imbedded in the material important concepts in your works? Is this meaning
central or is it at times peripheral to the work?
CT: The embedded languages of material are central to the work that I make. The inferred languages of
history, cultural use, and recontextualisation through the work I make are significant in the final delivery
of a work that must become commanding and independent. The material languages of Clay are rich and
commonly understood; this notion of connection to the understood, the sensitivities of clay, allows a
broad entry point to the work; clay is not hierarchical or exclusive.
Question 3
VJ: Your ephemeral installations change physically as a result of interaction with people or the
natural elements. Often artists who work in this way photograph their artworks and exhibit the
images as artworks in their own right. Do you consider photographic images of your installations as
documentation of the life of the artwork and do your images hold the possibility to extend the life of
your artwork in a different form?
20 THE JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIAN CERAMICS NOVEMBER 201)