11 x 11 x 6 inches

Ceramic stoneware and glaze

In Collaboration with Savannah Finley, PhD Candidate, UW-Madison

This sculpture draws inspiration from the leaching process found in Wisconsin groundwater within the Midwestern Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system (MCOAS) of naturally occurring, or geogenic, contaminants. Arsenic, fluorine, uranium, strontium, manganese, iron, and radium are all contaminants which may breach the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) in Wisconsin. When contaminants exceed the MCL, municipalities use various remediation strategies to attempt to mitigate the levels and impact of these contaminants with varying success. Through Savannah’s research that explores the distribution and variation of these contaminants through space and time, we can navigate the impact of these contaminants more successfully and effectively.

The construction of my work embodies a dialogue between fluidity and structure. My hands become vessels of expression, translating a passion for process and material into three-dimensional, tactile manifestations. Textured surfaces create dynamic lines, inviting viewers to engage in the nuanced dance of imagination and tactile curiosity. Appearing to emerge from the surface beneath, the piece insinuates a pooling of contaminants which leach into our groundwater wells. The sporadically glazed surface hosts space for a multitude of different colors and visual textures, representative of different contaminants and their varying appearances and effects.