Curl Curl Teabowl Suite, 2020, Porcelain with reactive stoneware glazes, shellgrit, various flashings, shell scars. Photo by Alana Wilson
Magnesium Crucible, 2020, Stoneware with porcelain slip and dry magnesium glaze 27 x 23 x 23 cm. Photo by Alana Wilson 
CCSLSC Hydria, 2020, Porcelain with reactive stoneware and titanium glazes 25 x 18.5 x 19 cm. Photo by Alana Wilson 
Emblematic Blue, 2020, Terracotta with reactive cobalt glaze 31 x 13 x 13.5 cm. Photo by Alana Wilson 
Shellgrit Cornucopia (detail), 2020, Porcelain with reactive stoneware wash, 22 x 22 x 22 cm. Photo by Alana Wilson 
Isolation Inscription Teabowl, 2020, Porcelain with stoneware glaze soak 7.5 x 13 x 13 cm. Photo by Alana Wilson 
Woodfired Porcelain Vessel, 2019, Woodfired porcelain with reactive glaze and barium deposits 17 x 8 x 8 cm. Photo by Alana Wilson 
Moon Jar (Echo), 2019, Terracotta with reactive stoneware glaze 11.5 x 11.5 x 11.5 cm. Photo by Alana Wilson 
Sand Saggar TB, 2019, Terracotta with reactive stoneware glazes, shells scars, fired in sand saggar 5 x 10.5 x 10cm. Photo by Alana Wilson 
Curl Curl Teabowl Suite, 2020, Porcelain with reactive stoneware glazes, shellgrit, various flashings, shell scars. Photo by Alana Wilson 
Curl Curl Teabowl Suite (detail), 2020, Porcelain with reactive opalescent titanium glazes 5 x 8 x 8 cm. Photo by Alana Wilson 
Planets, Mercies, & The Flow, 2020, Installation view, Crossing Gallery, Gifu (Japan). Photo by Masashi Kuromoto 
Planets, Mercies, & The Flow, 2020, Installation view, Crossing Gallery, Gifu (Japan). Photo by Masashi Kuromoto 
Planets, Mercies, & The Flow, 2020, Installation view, Crossing Gallery, Gifu (Japan). Photo by Masashi Kuromoto 
Planets, Mercies, & The Flow, 2020, Installation view, Crossing Gallery, Gifu (Japan). Photo by Masashi Kuromoto
Alana Wilson: Planets, Mercies, & The Flow, 2019-2020
The three series of works evolved very simultaneously, predominantly sparked by the global urgency experienced this year amidst the Australian bushfire season and the current worldwide pandemic. These events highlight the innate capacity of nature of which us as humans are at the mercy of in every way.
The essence of the works deals the relationship between the macro and the micro and their symbiosis. In physical form the macro is represented by 8 larger vessels with circular or spherical formations (The Planets) whilst the micro are small works (Mercies), tools for living, to be used, to protect something precious or personal, to have subtle presence, or to be a reminder of the relativity of nature to our human existence. An installation of ice melting – droplet by droplet falling through the air to a shallow bowl below – is symbolic of the transformation of states of matter – from solid to liquid – as well as depicting an old symbolic Japanese technique of cooling the air in the summertime.
The Flow is a sort of prism through which to see the rest of the works. The film is comprised of many short films, shot over the last few years but mostly in 2020. It includes films shot during the Australian Bushfires of January 2020 as well as films shot during the covid isolation months. An ever-changing landscape undulating through seasons and events – in the sky and in the sea. Short captures of both the macro and micro within nature – a grain of sand in the tidal pull or an air bubble rushing to the ocean surface; a wave forming and crashing, a storm passing, the moon rising, sunlight reflected on the horizon, or Impressionistic-esque clouds dissipating with dusk. All of these observations reveal the passage of time and states of matter just as clearly as the moon orbits the earth or clouds transform to precipitation.
I felt a great urgency in highlighting these values at this specific time, to regenerate this energy and force of what I felt in the world into my work. The works effectively push conclusions aside and reflect on the current point we are at, essentially echoing many questions that we are starting to ask ourselves; alluding to the macrocosm of all and the interconnectedness of all life, from the intimate to the universal.
