Mountain biking began in Northern California in the 1970s, around the time I was born, whereas the art of ceramics dates back millennia and is mostly associated with the Far East. Despite these contrasts, I find a connection between the two practices and my experience of racing mountain bikes at an international level influences and acts as a framework for my practice.
Like many, during the first months of Covid lockdown in 2020, the outdoors – and physical activity – became my crutch. I noticed nature more and valued the time I had when going for walks or bike rides. At this time, I started to make connections between two apparently unconnected activities, making in clay and mountain biking. Being immersed in activity allows for the sensation of being in the moment, which is heightened by the physical connection to material. Here the parallels become clear and a meditative state can be achieved – when you and the process align.
This led to my hypothesis, namely: There are common features in physical activities that make us feel better and improve our well-being, for example getting absorbed in mountain biking and working with the tactility of clay.
As my studio work was developing I considered the following questions; how do the characteristics of these practices align and make us feel? How does material engagement play a role within this? And, is it possible to capture our embodied encounters – through physical experience within a space and time – so that a viewer can reconnect with
