The series explores the concept of the body as a vessel. It experiments with how the process of making, using, and destroying vessels reflects the human condition.

The photographed piece includes the production and installation of 108 vessels to facilitate a butoh inspired performance piece. In the piece, each vessel becomes a performer.

The vessels were produced in residence at Clay Atelier in Paris. About 7cm high, the recycled argyle is exposed with transparent glaze. The form unintentionally resembles Japanese ceremonious vessels for matcha (chawan) or sake (guionmi).

The breaking of a vessel brings shock and awe. And while alarming, there is an ephemeral nature to freezing time - observing the whole in the parts, and the parts in the whole. The repetitive viewing of the combustion softens the blow, a forced acceptance of deconstruction and immateriality. In this endless series of changes, there is a sense of philosophical idealism that denies the preoccupation of beauty as an outward appearance.

*Viewing notes: the ‘animated still life’ is intended to be projected on two walls, as a diptych on loop. The sound is mixed from an experimental gong concert with Tatsuya Nakatani.

Happening: in the midst of producing the 108 vessels, I survived a near death collision that left me temporarily immobile. As a result, I performed a two week silent meditation in isolation with the vessels. The process produced a state of intimacy and entanglement - a hyper-sensitivity to the geometry of their lips, irregularities of their bodies, and stability of their bare feet. In a trance-like state, the vessel becomes a concentrated version of the universe, the cosmos held within the palms. Each piece embraces nuanced imperfections and encompasses the psychological passages that we experience with time. 

Ceramics practice: since 2021 I have held a stage in raku firing, studied intuitive ceramics, and participated in a long term residency with Clay Atelier.

The butoh inspired performance is characterized by slow, hyper present motions that reflect and transform states of being. The vessels are the singular non-human element on stage. The piece uses the vessel as a placeholder for self - drawing on themes of impermanence. 

The film stills are from a solo performance at the Franco-Japanese Cultural Association in Paris, France. It was performed as the result of a movement and choreography intensive with butoh master Atsushi Takenouchi. The piece is centered around the body as a vessel which evokes stories of personal and social change. I honor the four seasons with my face anointed in clay - recognizing the cycle of life, prayer, and rebirth.