'Mirasi Lock', contemporary porcelain sculpture by Alice Walton

This contemporary sculpture was conceived after the artist, Alice Walton, travelled to Rajasthan in 2018. Being awarded the Eduardo Paolozzi Travel Grant allowed her to visit and travel around North West India in search of inspiration for her work. The cool muted colours, flecked with deep ochre and charcoal grey, were directly inspired by the stunning landscapes and street scenes Alice saw during her travels. Referring to the Mirasi people of Rajasthan, this sculpture’s name also connects her work to a sense of heritage and community that she experienced while in India.

The present work is hand-crafted from coloured porcelain with a two-tone slip and pin-pricked texture base, evocative of the rugged landscapes and sand dunes found in the Thar Desert in North-West India. Hand-coloured porcelain ribbons are then layered over hand-built columns, a technique also found in her other works such as 'Linn Strata' and 'Mori Mandi'.

Abstract in form, the sculpture's unique shape draws on both architectural and organic inspiration. Combining these two seemingly conflicting themes allows Walton's piece to provoke intrigue and speculation about her chosen inspiration. Mirasi Lock's other-worldly form appears at first like a representation of coral or rock formations, but, upon closer inspection, invites meditative contemplation through its repetitive yet experimental surface.

Signed by the artist to the underside, 'Alice Walton'.