Wabi Sabi Seashell Bowls
October 2022
Clay bowls inspired by seashells and the concept of wabi sabi.
This was my first time working with clay, and what could be more exciting than making bowls, right? Well, perhaps it's not the most exciting project, but the central idea behind these pieces was inspired by the Japanese concept of imperfection known as Wabi Sabi,
“the beauty of imperfect things. . . wabi sabi is imperceptible but everywhere: a crack on a teapot, the wood of an old door, green moss on a rock, a misty landscape, a distorted cup or the reflection of the moon on a pond.”
With that in mind, I found inspiration in seashells and began creating these pieces without overthinking the final outcome, focusing instead on enjoying the process.
The clay made it easy to mold these pieces as it takes a while to dry, which further helps adding that 'rough' and 'unfinished' quality on the surfaces.
One of my objectives was to capture the passage of time on them, as if they had spent many years adrift in the waters, only to be discovered centuries later on the shore, the bumps and grooves carved by the movement of the waves.
In some ways, it's a metaphor for life itself. The original physical traits may be long gone, but the main structure remains, the essence of what makes the object itself. Its overall form and contours have stood the test of time.
