earthenware, cone 04-terra sigilatta, cone 04 glaze, fired doilies, variable dimensions, 2007
porcelain and handmade glaze cone 6, Victorian gingerbread architectural elements, 12” x 12” x 22”, 2007
antique victorian mirror, fired lace, porcelain, glass doorknobs, variable dimensions, 2008
spike lace flower, 2008
porcelain and handmade glaze cone 6, Katrina rusted flatware, antique column base, 28” x 28” x 12”, 2007
porcelain and handmade glaze cone 6, Katrina rusted 19th century French chandelier, 30” x 24” x 24", 2007
porcelain, slip-fired and unfired doilies, wax and sand, bedsprings, fabric, hair, antique
antique sewing table, earthenware, antique bed springs, porcelain, fired lace, victorian finials, 2007
porcelain and handmade glaze cone 6, with Katrina rusted 19th century French chandelier, 30” x 24” x 24”, 2008
Artist Statement
My work deals with a profound sense of loss and the potential for metamorphosis. It is reminiscent of geology and archeology’s concerns with the layering of time, place, absence, presence and process. I have an obsession with history and how related natural phenomena from the past can be revisited in the present. The artifacts and materials in my work appear to be held motionless and represent the evidence of recurring cycles that enter into our contemporary midst.
Since I’ve been living in Louisiana, I have gathered information about its history, exploring the tension between both the past and the present that is also personal and communal. I’ve also collected old seemingly worthless bric-brac and curiosities from junk shops that have opened since Hurricane Katrina. The intention of these investigations is to create timeless congeries that hover between recognition and effacement. I have the hopes of re-enchanting what was once lost. I uncover, restore, pile, weave and build motifs in a repetitive, ritualistic manner and often produce work that has spiritual overtones. Art for me is both an investigative and spiritual practice
-- Cynthia Giachetti