Ruth Mae Martin

After a period of research exploring objects and our emotional attachment to them I decided to explore objects from my childhood that have shaped my learning about the world. These objects are curtains, cornices, stairs balusters, vases and radiators. I have explored my memories of these objects and allowed them to inform the objects I went on to make throughout the year, incorporating elements of them into each piece.

My work intends to be theatrical in that I use elements of collage and set design as a methodology for creating compositions. I bring my pieces together and allow a power dynamic to emerge between the objects, resulting in starring roles and supporting pieces.

The Curtains Story- In my living room, there were a huge set of long green curtains that I was told time and time again not to play with. These curtains were 'not for closing'. Whenever I was alone in the living room, I would be drawn to the lovely green material, and was mesmerised with how simply moving them across the window transformed the light in the room. I always got caught.

These pieces have taken inspiration from stair balusters and radiators.

The Stair Baluster Story - I grew up in a bungalow, but one day construction began and all of a sudden my bedroom had become a hallway and a staircase had been erected in it. The attic had become two new rooms and my home had suddenly doubled in size. The route up to this new part of my home was lined with wooden balusters. Each identical, lining the stairs in an almost rhythmic manner. I allowed them to lead the way to this new mysterious part of my home.

The Radiator Story - When I was 9, the radiator feel off my bedroom wall in the middle of the night. I had never heard anything so loud in my life. I spent the rest of my childhood avoiding getting too close to radiators for fear of being crushed underneath one.

This work was made utilising sledging to create the initial form. I wanted to use sledging as it is a process commonly used in make cornicing, however I decided to use a metal profile that had a wave to it that mimics the was in which curtains fall in uneven ripples.

In order to achieve the feeling of motion in these pieces I need to allow them to move in the kiln. The pieces are fired to very high temperatures and depending on how I have positioned them they will move and alter, creating unique pieces every time.

The Cornice Story - Growing up in Glasgow I saw a lot of beautiful cornicing in the tenement flats of my family members. I loved that something so beautiful had been made to cover up un-slightly joins between the ceiling and the walls. As a result of this fascination I spent hours as a child staring up at the ceiling.

The Kerr Curtains are a continuation of my curtain series. The mono-printed surface on these pieces is representative of tartan. My family tartan is the Kerr Hunting tartan which is inherited from my Gran. As a child I would hide behind her curtains so I could jump out and scare her, and in making these pieces I reflected on those memories. I wanted to reference vases in these pieces so created double sided curtains with abase so that the pieces could be functional as well.

The Vase Story - Simply, I broke every vase my mother had in the house before the age of 5. I am still being reminded of this 22 years later.

A digital illustration that went on to be printed on silk and used as a backdrop for my final show. The illustration draws on the forms and colour palette that I have explored in my ceramic works. The addition of the silk brings a domestic feel to the installation.