2022, 3 black clay vessels fired in sugarcane, wooden bench, ceramic shards and grounds, sugarcane ash and dried sugarcane.
Ceramics made with Miri Badger, with support from Effie Skoufa-Klesnik.

In Sugar Vessels, three clay lotas made from black clay and fired in sugarcane mulch and sawdust or ‘vessels’ become symbols for body, water, boat. The black tones gesture to the kala pani ancestral ‘black waters’ known as ocean voyages, both consumed and embodied, but also to the dark history and residue of the sugar industry. These vessels sit precariously in a row on a tall, thin table followed by black clay ceramic shards, ceramic grounds, sugarcane ash and dried sugarcane. These elements reference how memories are inherited and passed down generationally, although fragmented through time the traces and residues of trauma continue as the need for deep healing and remembering.

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‘Sugar Vessels’, 2022, 3 black clay vessels fired in sugarcane, wooden bench, ceramic shards and grounds, sugarcane ash and dried sugarcane. Photo: Carl Warner.


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‘Sugar Vessels’, 2022, 3 black clay vessels fired in sugarcane, wooden bench, ceramic shards and grounds, sugarcane ash and dried sugarcane. Photo: Carl Warner.


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‘Sugar Vessels’ (detail), 2022, 3 black clay vessels fired in sugarcane, wooden bench, ceramic shards and grounds, sugarcane ash and dried sugarcane. Photo: Carl Warner.


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‘Sugar Vessels’ (detail), 2022, 3 black clay vessels fired in sugarcane, wooden bench, ceramic shards and grounds, sugarcane ash and dried sugarcane. Photo: Carl Warner.


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‘Sugar Vessels’ (detail), 2022, 3 black clay vessels fired in sugarcane, wooden bench, ceramic shards and grounds, sugarcane ash and dried sugarcane. Photo: Carl Warner.


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‘Sugar Vessels’ (detail), 2022, 3 black clay vessels fired in sugarcane, wooden bench, ceramic shards and grounds, sugarcane ash and dried sugarcane. Photo: Carl Warner.


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‘Sugar Vessels’ (detail), 2022, 3 black clay vessels fired in sugarcane, wooden bench, ceramic shards and grounds, sugarcane ash and dried sugarcane. Photo: Carl Warner.


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‘Sugar Vessels’ (detail), 2022, 3 black clay vessels fired in sugarcane, wooden bench, ceramic shards and grounds, sugarcane ash and dried sugarcane. Photo: Carl Warner.


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‘Sugar Vessels’ (detail), 2022, 3 black clay vessels fired in sugarcane, wooden bench, ceramic shards and grounds, sugarcane ash and dried sugarcane. Photo: Carl Warner.


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‘Sugar Vessels’ (detail), 2022, 3 black clay vessels fired in sugarcane, wooden bench, ceramic shards and grounds, sugarcane ash and dried sugarcane. Photo: Carl Warner.


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‘Sugar Vessels’, 2022, 3 black clay vessels fired in sugarcane, wooden bench, ceramic shards and grounds, sugarcane ash and dried sugarcane. Photo: Carl Warner.


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‘Sugar Vessels’, 2022, 3 black clay vessels fired in sugarcane, wooden bench, ceramic shards and grounds, sugarcane ash and dried sugarcane. Photo: Carl Warner.


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‘Sugar Vessels’, 2022, 3 black clay vessels fired in sugarcane, wooden bench, ceramic shards and grounds, sugarcane ash and dried sugarcane. Photo: Carl Warner.