Ceramic residency and land art installations in Bauska and Svitene, Latvia
March/April 2023
“Blessed be water, our first mother.” These are the words from the end of a John O’Donohue poem that formed a central inspiration to a series of land art installations in various rivers and waterways in southern Latvia.
I inscribed these words onto a series of hand-carved and individually ceramic pieces and placed them as a blessing in various streams and river beds around Bauska and Svitene during my first ceramic residency in Latvia in March/April 2023.
The poem acted as a prayer during my exploration of the Water element, the first of four elemental ceramic residencies where I would explore Fire, Water, Earth and Air across four seasons and four locations across Europe and the UK.
I installed a variety of ceramic ‘waves’, each fitting into my palm like a prayer, an ode to creativity, to nature and to the peace found in surrendering to something deeper and quieter within, to the ebb and flow and life-giving aspects of this element. It was a joy to install them beside various rivers around Bauska, and be calmed by each river as I worked with the stream’s intentions.
The individually carved and handbuilt ceramic waves were a meditative practice during the month, all in honour water in all her fluid intelligence. Blessed water, life giver and grief tender, always finding her way around obstacles, soft yet unyielding, calm and soothing and yet always moving. I offered these eternal words into the river and let the river take them to where they needed to go. This was deeply feminine and quiet work.
This journey with the element of water was also punctuated by the sudden passing of my father. The feelings of overwhelm, loss, intense heart ache and pain came like water, in waves, as the tears come. Little did I know when starting this journey that this truly traumatic loss would occur, alongside the creative exploration of all that water brings. I waded into this tiny river and beautiful bank, each tiny wave was a prayer offering to water where I offered my tears to the river, to my father.
