After emigrating from the UK to Aotearoa in 1997, ceramicist and sculptor Melissa Hastings has her artistic roots firmly planted in film and theatre design but went on to follow a passion for the environmental arts after moving to the West Coast of Tāmaki Makaurau. Melissa led and collaborated in many environmental art projects, which led on to mentoring the amazing rangatahi of Kākano Youth Arts Collective.
Now working out of Shed 27 in beautiful Orātiā, West Auckland this became the perfect setting to refine this love for the environment that often features in her exhibition pieces and collections. Her more recent works have taken a gentle dive into exploring the human condition as seen in this recent collection.
First & Form - Architectural Range for Collective by Box
For each piece in this range form has been the first consideration in their creation.
Architecturally they take a nod to the modernist movement which embraced design, simplicity and functionality.
‘The medium of ceramics was the perfect place for me to land at this time in my life. I believe there is no better material than clay to demonstrate fragility and strength in equal measure, which epitomises everything I seek to reflect and create in my own practice’
‘Finding the Balance’
The influence in this season’s designs comes from a place of considering human emotion and wellbeing which you will find gently reflected in each piece. The line that you see break through the rim and trickle over the side of the form is a common feature in this range and seeks to portray maintaining that fine line that we walk in our busy modern lives as it attempts to spill over in our journey to maintain that balance, in our homes, friends, art and the beauty that is all around us.
