A forest of nikau [1-64]

item details

NameA forest of nikau [1-64]

ProductionChristine Boswijk; potter; 1991; Upper Moutere

Classificationceramics, sculpture, works of art

Materialsceramic

Materials Summarystoneware; rolled, stretched, scratched and wrapped; barium glaze over brushed copper and manganese oxides

Techniquesfiring

Registration Number1996-0033-2/A-LLL

Credit lineCommissioned 1991, in partnership with Expo NZ 1992 Ltd and the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council of New Zealand

Overview

'I went to the Nikaus, stood amongst them, followed the curve of the trunk to a lofty height where the swelling of the boll converts into the thrusting spread of the branched palm head. I looked through the cross-hatched patterns to the sky.

My response to these images as a symbol of Aoteoroa's place in the Pacific and my passion for this land were the messages I wanted to portray in my work...

Working with clay is like human relationships. The minute I try to boss it round and control it, everything breaks down. If I work with the material and respect it, it respects the life that is there, and then I can see it in the work. If I'm not feeling good, the clay can resolve that, by the process of working with it.'

Christine Boswijk
'Treasures of the Underworld' Catalogue
World Expo, Seville, Spain. 12 April -20 October 1992