Ash & Clay articulates a philosophical approach to contemporary ceramic practice rooted in the elemental processes of creation, destruction, and renewal. Grounded in the tactile realities of clay and fire, the work simultaneously engages with metaphysical questions of existence through symbolic triads and cyclical temporality. Earth, fire, and form are understood as archetypal forces that mirror cosmological principles found in diverse spiritual traditions, most notably the Trimurti of Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver), and Shiva (the destroyer and transformer).
At the core of Ash & Clay lies the triangle, a geometric and conceptual device that serves as both a visual anchor and a metaphysical symbol. The triangle becomes a spatial articulation of sacred balance, embodying the dynamic interplay between materiality (earth and clay), transformation (fire), and preservation (form). Each point of the triangle does not stand in isolation but resonates with the others, forming an ontological schema that maps the continuous flow of life, death, and rebirth.
This framework not only reflects Hindu cosmological thought but also resonates with trinities across other spiritual and philosophical systems: the Christian Holy Trinity where Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist in co-eternal relationship; the Daoist cycles of transformation, which emphasise flow, balance, and the dynamic tension of opposites; and the Hegelian dialectic, where thesis and antithesis culminate in a synthesis, echoing the ceramic cycle of creation, destruction, and re-formation. Each parallel reinforces the core proposition of Ash & Clay: that transformation is both a metaphysical principle and a material reality. By embracing the ephemeral as intrinsic rather than oppositional to permanence, Ash & Clay challenge dominant narratives of preservation in the ceramic tradition. These vestiges of transformation, ash deposits, fire marks, and fragmented silhouettes are not signs of loss but inscriptions of process. Each ceramic work becomes an archive of becoming, embodying a durational temporality that resists fixity.
In my practice, this philosophy is not abstract it is tactile, lived, and iterative. Each time I shape clay, I am reminded that to create is also to let go, to surrender to the fire’s alchemy. The studio becomes a space of quiet ritual, where remnants are not discarded but revered as evidence of becoming. Ultimately, Ash & Clay is not merely a methodology of making but a sustained inquiry into the ontology of transformation. It invites reflection on the rhythms that govern both matter and spirit, positioning ceramic practice as a potent site for contemplating the interdependence of destruction and renewal, of form and formlessness, of the sacred and the material.
