Marbled Cartons

 My next set of cartons are an experiment with different coloured slips to make a marbled effect. When my last set came out of the kiln I noted that the black one reminded me of oil and the problems we face because of it, especially in the ocean. I imagined that marbling black slip into the body clay would create a fluid pattern similar to that of an oil spill, and represent pollution contaminating the water. 

swirling dyed black slip into plain earthenware slip

Here's how it looks straight out of the mold. The black is quite subdued but I know from my nerikomi test pieces that the stained clay shows up very strongly after firing. The pattern it has created was exactly what I was going for, it has swirling lines and blotches of black that mimic the behaviour of oil on water, and it kind of reminds me of mould too. This idea of decay keeps coming back to me throughout the project and I think it's a reflection of the fading hope that our generation faces when we look to the future, mould would also suggest corruption which we have many reasons to believe is what is happening in the government. I saw a Green Peace video that revealed how the government sends our 'recycling' overseas, dumping it on poorer countries where much of it washes into the sea - yet we are being told that our waste is being recycled.

This is the video; it puts into perspective how much plastic the UK is sending away, by imagining the same amount if it were dumped on Downing Street. I really hope this sparks some kind of change because it is absolutely insane!