suzannemorrissette
winnipeg, mb. toronto, ont. vancouver, bc.

Our ancestors lived on the land, used it, cooked it, ingested it, and eventually became it. The cycles continue and life goes on leaving behind objects of day-to-day use. Artifacts come to operate as historical storytellers on behalf of their past owners and makers. In particular, functional handmade objects that sustain us by bringing food, water, and warmth to our bodies satisfy our most basic needs – something that is often overshadowed by the things that we desire. I am interested in the ways in which these objects are made, and the traditions by which they are either passed down through generations or discontinued for any number of sociological reasons.

Looking to find meaning in my work through the articulation of these concerns in the mediums of clay and textiles, my practice takes form. On a very basic level, my work is concerned with simple acts of sustenance, human care, and in nurturing our spiritual interactions with objects. While formally concerned on some level, the work serves its foremost purpose functionally through interaction; Quality can then be discerned through technical inspection in addition to judgments of conceptual awareness.

From a consumer’s standpoint, these intentions are informed by a move towards living and promoting a more sustainable lifestyle. Creating objects that have necessary utilitarian applications in my own personal lifestyle, and in the lives of others breathes humbling significance into the action of making. For these reasons, I see that it is my role to learn and conserve teachings involving sustaininable traditions, teachings, and environmental materials.