Kyla Culbertson

Clay remembers the pinch marks of my fingertips — recording my actions and capturing the texture within the surface. Through coiling and pinching my mark-making becomes depictions of touch, thought, and labor. By slowly hand-building, I guide the vessel through the intimate process of creation.
Using a vibrant, red terracotta clay I have made decorative vessels with no utility. These ornate vessels reference the material objects that reside in the home: knick-knacks. The knick-knack serves as a novelty symbol made for display, and these vessels mimic the non-functionality of a home souvenir. I intend the viewer to think deeper about their connection to the objects that exist in the household.

I create large-scale domestic scenes out of cardboard to serve as a supportive context for the ceramic work. Each sculpture and installation represents a way to better acknowledge the tactile relationships to the objects that surround us. The ceramic objects in these scenes remain the primary focus of a narrative of personal family experience. Wherein the vessels serve no function, they symbolize the dysfunction within families. I want to show how objects and their environment reflect one another, allowing for the possibility of human emotion.