Jeremy Brooks’s meticulously crocheted miniature vessels test the limits of clay – and they’re huge
At first glance at Jeremy Brooks’ crocheted utensils, you might be forgiven for thinking they’re knotted with vinyl string. These playful, colorful and well-crafted pieces are actually made of porcelain. His pieces are also small—often about three inches across—which makes the process of stitching slender pieces of clay all the more impressive.
Brooks, who currently lives in Conway, South Carolina and serves as an assistant professor in the ceramics department at Coastal Carolina University, has spent the past few years studying the consistency of clay. While we might think of hardened media as fragile and rigid, artists pushed the limits of its flexibility.
“Part of my research focused on a unique mixture of clay materials that has elastic properties rather than the plastic properties traditionally found in common clay formulations,” he said in a statement. “Simply put, it behaves more like rubber than clay and sets very quickly once the ingredients are measured and mixed.”
Brooks begins by extruding long rolls of different colors, sometimes also rolling the media into paper-thin sheets. Unlike green clay (clay that has hardened but not yet been fired), this material is very pliable and elastic. “Coils made from this clay can be easily tied into tight knots,” he said. “This method can be used to join disparate pieces together, or the clay can be crocheted, knitted or braided into more dynamic forms.”
Many of Brooks’ vessels are colorful, while others are more earthy and wood-fired. As if made of soft material, the vessels appear to be squeezed and bent, further emphasizing the vibrant reference to fiber.
Brooks’ work will be on view at Duane Reed Gallery in St. Louis until December 31, along with Steven Young Lee and Michael Velliquette. Find more information on the artist’s website and Instagram.
