BROADSHEET – Studio Visit
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Ceramicist Shari Lowndes of Melbourne studio Szilvassy feels most at ease when seated behind the wheel in her Carlton studio, working with clay.
“I relate it to a form of meditation; it requires focused attention to a singular movement. It’s in this state I find a sense of calm,” she says.
The artist creates earthy hand-thrown terracotta bowls, cups, jugs, plates, dishes and planters. You can find her works in the 12 suites at Melbourne hotel United Places – which commissioned her to make 400 one-of-a-kind pieces using a blend of three different Australian clays – and across town at Carlton wine bar Agostino, for which Lowndes created several delicate ceramic display bowls, jugs and raw, un-glazed vases.
“I think one thing that always resonated with me was a sense of impermanence
in relation to the idea of home or place,”
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“I focus on pieces which hopefully one day become cherished as heirloom objects.
Memories are made around the table … and that can be carried onto the next generation.”
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