Jenni Vacca

During Jenni Vacca's residency, she experimented with various techniques to make ceramic work in response to the local environment at The Farm. Vacca explains, "I brought coils of clay to [a tree stump] and began building a coiled form from the hollow [which] became suggestive of a figure. Working outside in the strong wind and sun meant there was a higher risk of the clay cracking as it dried, as I was unable to control the drying process like in the studio. I repeated this process and made a second, very different biomorph. My hope was that at least one would survive. Both pieces now stand by the dam on The Farm."

Vacca goes on, "Made with terracotta clay painted with the Farm’s red dirt, they were then barrel fired to be completely black. I left this surface unsealed, so that over time the black surface will deteriorate to reveal the red surface below. I am interested to observe the rate and patterning of this process of decay. Still drawn to the hollowed out tree stump I began another work, printing its surface. I wanted to create a work to be suspended from the living Peppermint Tree which hangs over the stump, with the work viewed in direct relation to the stump. This work remains unfinished, and I hope to return to The Farm to complete it.”