Zivarna Murphy
Zivarna hand-forms tactile ceramic vessels inspired by coastal erosion as a metaphor for human loss. The forms draw upon fossilised shell bodies, ebbing cliffs and sea formed rocks. Zivarna layers stoneware and porcelain with eroded wild clay and impressed shells, rocks and fossils, all gathered from her local East Yorkshire coastline, imbuing each piece with a sense of place and connection. She draws upon her own positionality within this landscape as a neurodivergent, mixed-ethnicity woman of colour from a working-class background.
Zivarna Murphy
Zivarna hand-forms tactile ceramic vessels inspired by coastal erosion as a metaphor for human loss. The forms draw upon fossilised shell bodies, ebbing cliffs and sea formed rocks. Zivarna layers stoneware and porcelain with eroded wild clay and impressed shells, rocks and fossils, all gathered from her local East Yorkshire coastline, imbuing each piece with a sense of place and connection. She draws upon her own positionality within this landscape as a neurodivergent, mixed-ethnicity woman of colour from a working-class background.
My Brownspace, Your Brownspace
Ceramics, East Yorkshire Clay on Mirror, Spoken Word
150 x 150 x 150 cm
My Brownspace, Your Brownspace is a response to Zivarna Murphy’s positionality within the heritage of the East Yorkshire landscape that inspires her work. It reflects both her place and a shared sense of place within this landscape, celebrating the rich natural materials it offers.
The three ceramic vessels are formed from stoneware clay layered with wild, eroded boulder clay gathered from the East Yorkshire coastline and impressed with shells, fossils, rocks and jetsam. The forms are inspired by the tactile qualities of the cliffs, sea-eroded rocks, shells, fossils and Murphy’s experiences along her local coastline.
