#B3 Na Farraige (Of the Sea) 2024

Collectable object of contemplation

Can also be hung as wall Art

Dimensions: approx.

Centimeters: H 3.4 cm x W 8.6 cm

Inches: H 1.33’ x W 3.38’

Na Farraige is Irish for “Of the Sea”. One of my favourite treasures while beach-combing has always been the Sea Urchin and its beautiful shell (called a test), a thing of beauty and an inspiration to many, including myself.

For this design and for my research on how best to create it I combined two marvels of nature and both made of calcium carbonate; the shell of a sea urchin and stalagmites and stalactites that are found in caves deep beneath our feet.

The stalagmites and stalactites were key in resolving the dilemma of how to create spikes that truly looked organic. To create each spike I build up layers of clay, each time allowing the sediment in the clay to settle and water to evaporate, then when reaching leather hard I repeat the process again and again. A time consuming process so one needs to take a meditative approach, usually taking 4-6 layers for each spike but this seems very little when measured beside the stalagmites and stalactites growing at 1 cm every 100 years.