2023 Inspiration for my Work & Introduction to Virtues of Unity

A 'Description of the Inspiration behind my Working Practise', as well as a look at my installation 'Virtues of Unity' touring exhibition.

My work is characterised by the combination of strong geometric elements with recurrent patterns and my love and fascination for architectural principles, which I carve into a variety of materials. My pieces are instantly recognisable due to their bold energetic designs, crisp carving and intuitive understanding of how I integrate pattern, form, material and scale. Inspired by geometry, architecture and nature, I use solid or thick-walled forms that allow me to carve to the desired depth and create complex surface patterns in combination with heavily contrasting contours, pushing the boundaries of the materials to their limits. The hue of the materials is crucial because I rarely use introduced colour, relying on the artistry of the piece itself to dramatise the tones and textures through the effects of light and shadow on it. Clay is my first love and my work has naturally evolved to include marble, wood, concrete, bronze and glass, each offering different challenges of mutability and scale.

The piece, Virtues of Unity, is my reflection on the shared commonality of the human race. Whilst we appear superficially different so we are also fundamentally the same; we are one species, united by our DNA regardless of cultural background, religion or skin colour.

The clay for this piece has been gathered from across the globe and presents an exciting diversity of textures and colours reflecting the geology and climate of their places of origin.

I have hand carved each piece in a soft, curvilinear style with holes allowing light to form a penetrative link from one carving to the next. By giving my work a common stylistic thread it symbolises the fact that there is more common ground that unites us as human beings than that which divides and separates us. We all come from the clay of the earth and eventually we all return to that same clay. Each piece is titled to suggest a different virtue that associates us all with our aspirational values

Our differences bring richness and variety to our lives. This piece will continue to evolve as I seek out different clays, enjoying the exploration of each one's distinctive character and identity.

It would be wonderful if you would like to be part of this project and are able to help me source clay from your country, or a country to which you are travelling, please get in touch: info@halimacassell.com

Further information can be found on my website, with details of which countries I still would like to source clay from https://www.halimacassell.com/virtues...

Thumbnail Image Credit: ArtUK
Filmed by Simon Peter King and music by Ruth Angel “Little Boy Blue” from her album Hlywing https://ruthangell.com/