Craft Conversations
A collaboration installation by Clare Scanlan of Scanlan & Makers and Jordan Wood, Vivianite is the departure point for a range of enquiries into materials, including bespoke paint finishes, ceramics and collage. Vivianite is a rare blue pigment historically used in paint production. Also known as blue ochre, it is a native Victorian pigment found at Demon’s Bluff, Anglesea.
Conjuring allusions as macabre as they are beautiful, vivianite occurs inside fossils, bones, shells, even decaying corpses. It starts life colourless, darkening to shades varying from green to blue to black upon exposure to oxygen and light. Scanlan will delve into this spectrum, expertly blending vivianite and layered handmade finishes to the surfaces of a warehouse.
Vivianite is part of Craft Victoria’s Craft Contemporary satellite program.
Can you tell us more about the concept behind Vivianite?
The project focuses on the use of local colour to form connections between landscape, sense of place and practice. Ever-present is the hand; gestures captured in glazes, washes, clay and paint. Vivianite prompted a study into blues, greens and the Victorian coast and acts as a binder for the various aspects of the project.
Making during this time, particularly for those in Victoria, has not been without its challenges. How have you both stayed creatively motivated and kept the momentum going?
Participating in events such as Craft Contemporary has been imperative to keeping the momentum going. The shifting restrictions have kept us on our toes and we have restructured ‘Vivianite’ many times over. In this, it has allowed us to be more open in how we approach the project. It is experimental; it shifts and evolves. Vivianite becomes both material and muse. We initially wanted to gather our own samples but travel restrictions did not allow for this. The mineral then became representative of a longing for the sea, or more broadly, places we could no longer visit.
What are you looking forward to for the rest of the year?
A trip to Demon’s Bluff to pay tribute to our muse. This project will continue to evolve as we source different Victorian materials to incorporate into handmade paints and glazes. We would also love to have a physical exhibition of the works made once restrictions ease. We are excited for Scanlan & Makers involvement in the 2021 Melbourne Design Week which will feature collaborations with different creatives across Victoria, unpicking what they understand as ‘Local Colour’.
