All in the detail
The chimney is made of ten pieces – three at the base, two in the second layer and three upper storeys. The subsidiary chimney has two parts and sits neatly at the base. Each piece was separately made by building up the walls with internal supports and the life forms were added along the way. Tube Worms, mussels and shrimps were all made in small batches so that I could place them en masse on each piece of chimney to achieve some balance and harmony. The more singular species such as fish, octopus and crabs, I placed on or amongst them as appropriate. The exact positioning of animals evolved as I worked. I placed thick polythene between the sections of chimney wherever they touched in order to be able to take them apart easily when ready for the first of four firings. Each was coloured and glazed using the same palette, with lustres added where useful for example the shrimps have the illusion of looking slightly transparent. After all the firings the fitting back together of such a comparatively large ceramic structure had its difficulties, but with a little chipping, filing and some internal reinforcements, all was well. I hope you enjoy looking at it. Jill Moger 2018
Hydrothermal vent detail - Octopus, Vent Snails, Anemones, Zoarcid Fish 54