The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 53 No 2 July 2014

Focus: Emerging
Stephanie Hammill, Untitled, 2014, Southern Ice, WA black beach sand and copper carbonate grog, 1270 0 (
h7 .Scm, w12cm; photo: Kevin Gordon
oxidation,
PROFILE: Stephanie Hammill
I have always sought to make sense of my surroundings through the exploration of landscape and place.
For me, travel is an important way of discovering my place in the world. I like to collect samples of
rocks, sand and dirt as souvenirs of visits. My collections of stones and glass jars of sand stand lined up
on my shelves as reminders of memories and locations.
My ceramic practice reflects a desire to combine and contrast two separate identities: the found
unprocessed locational materials and the pristine, untouched nature of porcelain. I embed material into
the clay body and then throw. Every piece of work begins in the same manner, yet the finished object is
unique.
I am intrigued by the possibilities offered by the movement of the embedded materials during the
motion of throwing, and the semi-random yet ordered nature of pattern created through the action of
making. For me, throwing is integral to my practice; it creates an interstitial space, a pause, where the
movement of the clay and the embedment of the materials take on a life of their own.
I hope to develop this relationsh ip between line and movement and purity and imperfection by
pursuing investigations into the relationsh ip of glazes and firing methods on the found, embedded
materials. Reaction, alchemy and contrast are my future lines of enquiry.
www.stephaniehammillceramics.wordpress.com
54 THE JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIAN CERAMICS JULY 2014