Remnant: a trace remaining

Born from a fascination with what lies beneath our feet, this body of work presents what is seen and unseen. In a merging of geological phenomenon, historical context and archaeological discovery, Wallace expresses diverse landscapes through the medium of clay.

Created in her Ballarat studio shaken daily by the explosions of contemporary gold mining practices, Wallace uses abstract line and embossed clay surfaces to meld her fragmented sense of place as a migrant. These works fuse imagery of historic gold diggings from her life in the Victorian Goldfields with personal fossil findings from the Jurassic Coast in Yorkshire, UK.

This sense of immersion in the landscape is continued through the artist's use of materials, often foraging site-specific resources directly from the land. Clays are dug directly from the earth to throw on the wheel and invasive weeds and introduced species are burnt to carbonise the surfaces of works.

This richly layered process of creation and modality of working irrevocably connects the work to the landscape itself, and becomes one with the stories told on its surface; its renderings of the visible terrain and imaginings of what is hidden to us inside the earth’s crust. To honour this connection further, Wallace seeks ways to reduce the environmental impact of her practice, using sustainable materials and methodologies where possible.

The making processes of fire and smoke and the resulting violent thermal shock can sometimes result in hairline fractures on even the most meticulously made ceramics. Wallace relishes these imperfections as opportunity for ‘radical repair’ and often pushes the making process intentionally to its limit, enticing and then embracing these aesthetic flaws. Using ancient repair methods and precious metals these invisible fractures become celebrated, with their imperfections adorned with brass and 23k gold.

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