Ceramic Sculpture This work explores the way that girls are constrained from birth to conform to an appearance and code of behaviour, to present a perfect face, and maintain the expectations of others. The disrupted surfaces, or perfect doll masks, describe the vulnerability beneath. From the moment we are born gender restricts our future. Stand up straight, smile nicely, say please. Ceramic figures show the girl dressed for display, as a plaything, an entertainment and ornament. Looks and behaviour are already proscribed. But the same looks and the dress can also be a way to rebel and show individuality. In the use of ceramic, the work can also describe strength. It also tries to show attitude, sisterhood and resistance. The mask is a disguise to fit us into the world.
Jemma first trained for a BSc in Engineering Product Design, and worked in the fields of industrial design, production, and architectural model making before becoming a teacher of Design and Technology.With experience in making using a broad range of materials, for a wide range of purposes, ceramics has become the abiding interest with it’s unique versatility and surface possibilities, the technical challenges and opportunities seem endless.
Being a mother, wife and daughter, as well as a woman often working in a largely male field, has led to an examination of the role of the female, and how societal norms can still shape the way children are raised.
For further information: jgowlandceramics@gmail.com 07914986486 instagram @jemma.gowland