Bjork Haraldsdottir

My professional background is in architecture and my work remains unequivocally architectural to my eyes and is influenced by my training and profession in many ways. However, natural forms reflecting my upbringing in Iceland and exposure to the extraordinary in nature are also reference points.

I see my work as a conversation between the pseudo-perfection of geometric pattern and the tactile impurity of hand-manipulated clay. I often deliberately create warped planes through the careful pattern cutting and jointing of would-be flat slabs so that vessels become intentionally and subtly off-kilter.

Form and pattern are individually and equally important, but my work is defined by the interaction of these very distinct attributes. There is often an ambiguity in the pieces caused by the drape of the pattern over the form, and I often place a rigid, geometric pattern onto an organic form, and vice versa. The ‘grain’ of the pattern vastly alters the perception of a piece and two superficially similar forms will appear unrelated when rendered with different patterns.

I am drawn to monochrome. It could be seen as a reflection of the monochromatic palette of the Icelandic landscape, particularly in winter. I sometimes think my work is reflective of that landscape with black lava peeking out from beneath snow covered planes. However, that is an entirely subconscious outcome. My decorative process simply suits monochrome and the limited palette seems to strike the right balance between form and pattern. The basic premise of ‘draped’ pattern over architectural form is straightforward but the range of expression it allows is vast.