Argil Counties

As a potter, Argil, more commonly known as clay, is an invaluable resource to me. It’s the medium I use almost daily, and has very rapidly become one of the central things my life revolves around. While at the end of the day it is simply a substance found in the Earth composed of various minerals, through human innovation and creativity it has become so much more than this. It has been pivotal material throughout human history that holds such an abundance of history and life stories within it. 

To me, clay connects me to the land I have grown up upon and call home. It also connects me to the land as a larger human race, as clay is used, and has been used for centuries, globally. The way it can be used for purely artistic pursuits, or alternatively for purely functional purposes always amazes me. Often it ends up being somewhere in the middle; a functional piece of art. Clay also brings into the spotlight the importance of treating natural resources with due respect and care. The process of taking clay and firing is the epitome of human intervention, be this for good or bad. We take a natural resource and forever change it from its natural state. 

All these reasons combined have led to this project. I feel as though I cannot fully explore the importance that clay represents to me with shop bought bags. I don’t entirely know what this project may entail, the lengths and efforts that it may take to complete, or whether it’s even possible. But I have an image in my head of a wall full of 92 vases in an array of different shapes, colours, and textures, and county by county I hope to achieve this.