Ceramic Design
Catherina O Donoghue
TOTEM
As a child, I remember holding the largest marble, a prized boulder, in my pocket for the whole day. I had won it on the drain games. A sense of ownership and contented groundedness came over me when I rolled the coloured glass orb between my fingers. The warmth of my body heated the boulder and there was a comfort in that tactile connection. Although my childish mind could not have named it at the time, this beautiful little charm had become my first totem.
I believe that when we physically engage with ceramic materials, they have the capacity to impact on our senses and our emotional and cognitive reasoning in a greater way than we can comprehend. This tactile engagement can awaken moments lost in time. The clays capacity to ground us can be a powerful conduit for introspection, reflection, meditation and mental wellness.
Through haptic interplay with these objects, my work aims to evoke thoughtfulness, a gentle reminder of our tangible connection with the world around us. The clay becomes a conduit between maker and holder. An object for mediated tactility in a world that is currently crippled by the absence of touch.
Totem is a celebration of touch and all its wondrous gifts.