Victoria Eden

The portals invite the eye to the inside. What lies inside is unclear and how it is read will depend upon the individual.

There is no definitive explanation for the interior and what it represents; it is difficult to explain. As with many aspects of  human thought and emotions it is beyond words.

Small portal H: 13cm  W: 9.5cm  D: 3cm

Terracotta crank clay 1000c, smoke fired using oak shavings + gold leaf

The gold is merely a thin veneer but it has the power to draw us inside.

Small portal H: 13.5cm  W: 9.5cm  D: 4cm

Terracotta crank clay 1000c, smoke fired using oak shavings, newspaper + gold leaf 

The portals reflect my interest in the interior, at the same time they also echo the limestone rock formations where I live. In this environment large blocks of stone (clints) are separated by deep gullys (grikes) eroded by water over the passage of time.  

The curiosity they excite about what lies within and what remains hidden is a starting point for these pieces.

Small portal H: 13.5cm  W: 9.cm  D:4cm

Terracotta crank clay 1000c, smoke fired using oak shavings and newspaper + gold leaf

Sometimes what is inside is unknowable but often there will be  small opening that gives the hope of a way forward.

Small portal H: 14cm  W: 10cm  D: 4.5cm

Terracotta crank clay 1000c, smoke fired using oak shavings + gold leaf

Living in a highly technological society we disregard the immense power of natural forces at our peril.  

In the Portal series the wood and stone impressions in the clay and the graphic drama of the smoke firing provide a visual acknowledgement of  the massive strength of nature.

Small portal H: 15cm  W: 12cm  D: 4.5cm

Terracotta crank clay 1000c, smoke fired using oak shavings 

The portals can stand alone or the can gather in a group, either way they can be a focus for thought and meditation.

The message will be different for each person.

Terracotta crank clay 1000c, smoke fired using oak shavings + gold leaf

The aperture draws in the viewer but there are there many layers to be negotiated before leaving the piece, and as ever the interior is unknown.

Terracotta crank clay 1000c, smoke fired using oak shavings.

The back of the form reveals the layers that enfold and enclose the inner space.

Terracotta crank clay 1000c, smoke fired using oak shavings.

The receding cavity draws the onlooker far into the form, as clints of limestone can pull the eye deep into adjacent grikes.

This piece simultaneously suggests rock formations and architectural form. It creates an enclosure whilst emphasising that protective spaces are made and needed by both humans and nature. The final chink of light can be read as a barrier or an entrance and so the piece offers both protection and opportunities.

H.34cm W.23cm D.24cm

Terracotta crank clay 1000c . Smoke fired using oak shavings.

The hand held portals surround a birds nest bowl that is lined with gold leaf.

The shape draws you inside whilst the metal reflects the outside.

Terracotta crank clay 1000c, smoke fired using oak shavings, bird's nest + gold leaf

Touch, sight and the imagination explore the portal and the mind is prompted to consider rock, metal and fire whilst questioning the meaning of the interior and the exterior.

Is it a sensory object?

Is it a metaphor?

Does it say something beyond words?

Length 11.5cm Width 10cm Depth 6cm

Terracotta crank clay 1000c, smoke fired using oak shavings + gold leaf

Each portal, protected within a black ceramic box, contains a space that can be viewed through an aperture.   

The portals can easily be removed and replaced for handling and contemplation. 

One piece is in shards.

Stacked together and defended by each other, the pieces gain strength and power.

H:49cm W:81cm D:12cm

Terracotta crank clay 1000c, smoke fired using oak shavings, gold leaf, gold glaze. Boxes: Scarva black clay fired to 1145c

The portals are restricted, but protected, in a formal black clay box.

The interiors are the home of metaphors and similes; the holder's role is interpretation.

Terracotta crank clay 1000c, smoke fired using oak shavings, gold leaf, gold glaze. Boxes: Scarva black clay fired to 1145

In the final piece 15 portals will be stacked to create an installation 1.5m high by 1.35m wide.

Viewers will be invited to post messages on rolled slips of paper into the portals detailing what they believe to be bad ideas.  Bad ideas could be personal or those of others; they could be abstract concepts, ideas from history or for the future..... the writer may interpret the concept as they wish.

From the harvest of bad ideas gathered in the repository I plan to develop a new piece of work.

Each box is 31cm x 24cm

Terracotta crank clay 1000c, smoke fired using oak shavings. Boxes: Scarva black clay fired to 1145

The smoke has created a halo effect to emphasise the slits that open the portal.

Messages can be posted through these slits as a symbolic act of disposing of bad ideas. 

H:31cm W:24cm D:13cm

Terracotta crank clay 1000c, smoke fired using oak shavings.Boxes: Scarva black clay fired to 1145

The counterpart to the Repository of Bad Ideas is The Repository of Good Ideas. Within these porcelain enclosures positive thoughts and concepts can be garnered. The portals are sheltered within the black ceramic boxes.

As with the negative repository I plan to respond to the written ideas with an answering piece of work.

H:19cm W:12cm D:12cm

Porcelain fired to 1250C, black clay to 1145C