Arachnobutts #1 2023

Summary

Claybia is an artistic collaboration between Cassandra Chilton and Molly O’Shaughnessy, both members of the Hotham Street Ladies art collective. Their ceramic practice is centred around non-traditional sculptural forms that explore the darker sides of art and life, humour, feminism, the everyday, the misshapen and the peculiar. Their motto is "Dark Ceramics for Dark Times".

This ceramic vase was a part of the Craft Victoria exhibition 'GROWLERS' which presented a collection of glazed stoneware and porcelain pieces drawing inspiration from both ordinary and mundane everyday objects.

Artist statement

"ANALYSIS OF MATERIAL COLLECTED AT WATSON PLACE

The ruins of the structure unveiled multiple archaeological scatter sites emerging from the urban stratum. The basaltic soil conditions played a crucial role in the superb preservation of the organic debris, believed to have been left behind by ancient ravens. On examination this proved to be primarily butts, shells, animal bones and a collection of unidentified creatures, some seemingly self- assembled from the refuse. Eroded by temporal processes and enveloped in sedimentary deposits comprising soil and rocks, the debris remains undisturbed."