Five Minutes with... Stephanie James-Manttan
This Way, That Way, 2021, porcelain with celadon glaze, 285 x 125 x 125 mm; That Way and a Bit Out Both Sides #1, 2021, porcelain, 280 x 320 x170 mm; This Way and Up #2, 2021, porcelain with celadon glaze, 125 x 140 x 135 mm.
A study in light and balance, Stephanie James-Manttan’s sculptural porcelain works invoke a sense of movement and translucency, their textural surfaces inspired by the murmuration patterns of migratory birds. We catch up with James-Manttan ahead of her upcoming solo exhibition Sort Sol, discussing her ceramic practice, creative influences and making processes.
Photography by Michael Haines.
How would you describe your approach to making and what methods and techniques do you employ?
I’ve given up on drawing my ideas prior to making; I’ve been disappointed every time I’ve taken that approach. When I translate my ideas from paper to fruition, the forms just don’t look right, it’s either caused by distortion from the mark making or the ratios aren’t to my liking. I now just sit at my pottery wheel and make. I find using this method allows for greater spontaneity and flexibility. As I make, the forms evolve along with my ideas and techniques.
Scale plays a huge part in my practice, but due to a shoulder accident I had walking my dogs a couple of years back, I’ve had to re-evaluate the way I make my pots. I now construct my work using small wheel thrown composite pieces of various sizes; I mark each piece and then assemble them. This method gives me the height and also allows me to be more playful with my mark making.
What inspires and influences you most in your practice?
Repetition in the world around me and the psychology behind it. You can see from my work, I love the processes associated with repetition. To me it’s visually and physically comforting.
I’m a very process driven individual - that’s why I enjoy ceramics. With ceramics there’s a lot of testing and preparation. When I’m preparing and doing my production, from the get go it’s all about process and I just get a kick out of seeing pots lined up in perfect rows, all the same size and neatly spaced apart, it’s just bliss.
This Way and Around #1, 2021, porcelain with erbium glaze, 195 x 180 x 170 mm; This Way, That Way and a Bit Out Both Sides #4, 2021, porcelain, 380 x 320 x 170 mm.
This Way, That Way and a Bit Out The Sides #2, 2021, porcelain, 315 x 220 x 170 mm.
This Way, That Way and a Bit Out Both Sides #2, 2021, porcelain, 260 x 260 x 190 mm.
I now just sit at my pottery wheel and make. I find using this method allows for greater spontaneity and flexibility. As I make, the forms evolve along with my ideas and techniques.
This Way and That Way #2, 2021, porcelain with celadon glaze, 420 x 175 x 175 mm; This Way and Up #1, 2021, porcelain, 245 x 290 x 180 mm; This Way and Up #1, 2021, porcelain with celadon glaze, 185 x 190 x 180 mm.
Can you tell us a bit about the title for this exhibition?
Sort Sol is the Danish word for murmuration.I came across it in a book of essays about birds by Helen McDonald called Vesper Flights. For those that don’t know, murmuration refers to the phenomenon when hundreds, sometimes thousands, of starlings fly in swooping, intricately coordinated patterns through the sky.
When I was in Italy a couple of years back I happened to see first-hand starlings swarming in the skies over the cathedral in Florence. I was mesmerised, my heart skipped a beat, it was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t just the scale and movement that captivated me, it was the collective consciousness of the swarm, the birds moved in perfect unison. A brain cell has no intelligence by itself but put together in sufficient numbers, they display remarkable properties, just like these birds. Not sounding cynical but maybe humanity could take a leaf out their book.
McDonald also mentioned in Vesper Flights that sort sol has another Danish translation, black sun; I thought that to be rather romantic.
When I was in Italy a couple of years back I happened to see first-hand starlings swarming in the skies over the cathedral in Florence. I was mesmerised, my heart skipped a beat, it was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t just the scale and movement that captivated me, it was collective consciousness of the swarm, the birds moved in
perfect unison.
The work in Sort Sol features a series of vessels in porcelain. What is it about this material that draws you?
I work in porcelain because of its sensual silky flesh-like quality and its ability to capture every surface textural nuance that I impose on it. This is due to the tight molecular structure of the material. It’s translucency alludes to delicacy but in contrast it is strong and robust. Porcelain has a willingness to be transformed in both form and texture which makes it the perfect medium to explore my concepts and ideas.
As an Alumni of JamFactory and the current Head of the Ceramics Studio, how has JamFactory shaped your creative practice?
I became Head of the Ceramics Studio in 2019. It’s great being back at JamFactory, I didn’t realise how much I missed it.
I finished the Associate Program in 2008, over the years JamFactory has supported me through its residency programs, exhibitions and retail opportunities. All these activities meant that my practice has been in a constant flux. Every project that I have been involved with has challenged my concepts and technical abilities, making me a more confident practitioner whilst giving me visibility in the Australian ceramics community.
I work with a great bunch of people in the studio and we all draw upon our strengths and learn from one another. This has really helped me moving forward with my work. Being surrounded by this supportive community has definitely given me more courage and confidence; hopefully you’ll see it in this new body of work.
Stephanie in the JamFactory Ceramics Studio making product for the jam collection.
Photo: Daniel Marks.
Stephanie James-Manttan: Sort Sol
Gallery Two
10 December 2021 – 13 February 2022
South Australian ceramic artist and JamFactory Head of Ceramics Studio Stephanie James-Manttan draws on her interest in repetition and patterns to present a new body of intricately marked porcelain sculptures inspired by the murmuration (flocking behaviour) patterns of migratory birds.