UNEARTHED

UNEARTHEDAN EXHIBITION OF EMERGING CERAMIC ARTISTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER

Just as the nine-lettered title UNEARTHED suggests, this show

celebrates the emergence of nine new ceramic artists.

The work you will see on display reflects, not only the dynamic

of the group and the styles of individual makers, but also

the diversity and hybrid quality of contemporary ceramics.

Unlike other practice areas ceramics is undergoing great change.

This new, protean quality has allowed it to shed its mantle of craft

and to take on aspects previously associated with contemporary

art. To be a student during this time of evolution/revolution has

been both challenging and exciting. Consequently we have been

encouraged to extend the boundaries of our thinking and making.

We hope this is reflected in the artworks you see here.

As we now set out on our own career paths we feel enriched

by our experiences at the University of Ulster’s School of Art

and Design.

WE TRUsT yoU Will ENjoy THE sHoW!

EIMEAR DOYLENAOMI FITZPATRICK

FELICITY STRAKER GRAHAMKATIE LARMOUR

NORMA DOYLE LEWISJANE McCULLA

CLAIRE McKINNEYCONOR O’DONNELL

KINGA PERS

For our families – parents, partners and children –

who have weathered the storm with love and tenacity.

Thank You.X

THE ClAss oF 2006

The exhibition UNEARTHED launches a group of nine new ceramic makers in the field of the Applied Arts.

It represents the culmination of three years of hard work, struggle, and creative development and, at times, sheer dogged persistence to achieve such a high level of integration of perceptive thinking and skilful handling of materials and techniques.

It has been a pleasure to have worked with such a group of intelligent and committed students – the staff of Fine and Applied Art wish them every success in their future careers.

CLIVE FIDDIS Belfast, April 2006

EiMEAR DoylEdoyle@1gtm.fsnet.co.uk

Three generations have lived in our house; my Gran, my Mum and now me. My work expresses the past that echoes from inherited objects like teacups, old letters and the very fabric of my home.

Porcelain paper clay has the fine, precious and idiosyncratic quality that enables me to portray lives once led.

Sacred ConversationsPorcelain Paper Clay, decals and photo-etchingSizes variable

NAoMi FiTZPATRiCKnaomifitzpatrick@gmail.com

Past lives, family history, fairytale and lore are the themes present in my work. I am interested in the notion that genetic information and sometimes-anecdotal tales are passed on to the next generation. I see these as traces of existence that are woven into our descendants. As my own ancestry is Eurasian I have attempted to find a visual metaphor that expresses this cross-pollination between East and West.

The Warp And The Weft Thrown stoneware, black slip and lustreSizes variable

FEliCiTy sTRAKER GRAHAMgraham.tempauct@dnet.co.uk

The dynamism and hectic activity that happen during an auction can only be described as a compilation of myriad separate instances all taking place at the same time. The unique properties of porcelain paper clay enable me to express the unpredictability and excitement of days like these.

A Day in the life of . . . Porcelain paper clay and woodSize 480cm x 360cm (approx.)

KATiE lARMoURkatielarmour@hotmail.com

These ’human casts’ and their intimate associations with the body express a sense of someone who has been and gone. Ghostly, fragile and idiosyncratic traces have been left behind creating a silent atmosphere of tension and loss.

DislocationPorcelain slip castSizes variable

NoRMA A. DoylE lEWisnorma_doyle@hotmail.com

Memory is central to my work and as a hand builder the vessel as a container for memories has become increasingly important. I delight in decoration, often painting inside the pots to capture the interior activity of memory. Like ancient Egyptian ceramics my work has a narrative quality that tell my own personal stories of life, love and loss.

The Odyssey WithinHand built stoneware, coloured porcelain slips and transparent glazeSizes variable

jANE McCUllAjanemcculla@hotmail.com

I feel overwhelmed by the beauty, scale and the miraculous intricacies of Nature. The experience of rural or remote landscapes and seascapes fascinate me. Momentary glimpses, indexical traces, entropy processes and archaeological references communicate both man’s presence and the passage of time.

Rhythmic Traces Coloured and grogged stonewareSizes variable

ClAiRE McKiNNEyclairesugar@hotmail.com

My work is autobiographical with individual pieces relating to my understanding of place and my location within a specific environment at a certain time. The experience of travelling in the Australian landscape has greatly influenced this work. I hope to convey ‘change’ or ‘transformation’ just as the individual is transformed spiritually and psychologically through one’s time and sense of place.

TransformationTerracotta clay and natural fibres Sizes variable

CoNoR o’DoNNEll

I believe that the vessel is a symbol of man’s progress and achievement and therefore its importance to us as ceramic artists demands recognition. My vessels are grouped according to their character thus heightening the relationship between internal and external space. The joining and twisting of form within the architecture of the human body is a central influence, resulting in the strong figurative connotations evident in my artwork.

EvolutionsThrown stoneware and porcelain slipSizes 41 x 28 cms

KiNGA PERskikapers@yahoo.co.uk

Fascination with the depersonalised architecture of high rise flats derives from personal experience. The strong ‘constructed’ element in my work alludes to the structured environment; domesticity, banality and routine. I attempt to deconstruct and reconstruct it. Conversely clay is an organic substance which I push in and out through the metal frames and it is this process that forms a narrative in my work.

Box NarrativesMetal, clay, egyptian paste and found objectsSizes variable

ACKNoWlEDGEMENTs For our friends and relatives who contributed to this publication. Special thanks to Adrian McColgan, Roy Bailie and John McMillan.

sPoNsoRs

W&G Baird Ltd.The Greystone PressCaulside DriveAntrim BT41 2RS The Barber Shop 74 Rainey StreetMagherafelt BT45 5AH

Blazer Entertainments35 Bellaghy RoadBallymena BT44 9DX

The Eric Cairns Partnership525 Lisburn RoadBelfast BT9 7GQ

60a High StreetHolywood BT18 9AE Delivery Services16 Genoa StreetBelfast BT12 5BG Mr Michael FlanaganThe Emer Gallery467 Antrim RoadBelfast BT15 3BJ

Fine DesignScrabo Business ParkJubilee RoadNewtonards BT23 4YH

First Trust Bank31 High StreetBelfast BT1 2AL

James F Fitzpatrick and Co.Carlton House28 Fountain StreetBelfast BT1 5ED Mr Henry GrahamHenry Graham Estate Agents Ltd.58 Bachelors WalkLisburn BT28 1XN The Irish News Ltd.113–117 Donegall StreetBelfast BT1 2GE Kearney and Co.Carlton House28 Fountain StreetBelfast BT1 5ED Mr John Kirkpatrick RIBAArchitects and Planning Consultants20 Ballyknockan RoadSaintfield BT24 7HJ Mr Donald McCluskeyBallinderry Antiques2 Lower Ballinderry RoadBallinderry UpperLisburn BT28 2EP McGinnis Group31 Main StreetEglinton BT47 3AB

3 Albion PlaceLeeds LS1 6JL

O.M Tiling13 Ashgrove ParkMagherafelt BT45 6DL

The Radiator ShopScrabo Business ParkJubilee RoadNewtonards BT23 4YH Rooney & McConville Architects 13 Upper Crescent StreetBelfast BT7 1NT

David Scott (Agencies) LtdThe Tile RefineryBlythe StreetBelfast BT12 5HU

The Sheldon Gallery42 Frances StreetNewtonards BT23 7DN Sizzlers Wine Bar23 Market StreetMagherafelt BT45 6EE Mr Wilson ToshAsdon Office ProductsSystems HouseEnterprise CrescentLisburn BT28 2BH Town and Country Inn28 Union RoadMagherafelt BT45 5DF