The Screen
Elin HughesThunder Train
20 January - 16 March 2024
Ponder the word ‘woodfire’ for a minute. It will likely conjure up an assortment of sensorial memories: charred crust pizzas, raw heat on a cold night, the campfire smell of smoke, feelings of nostalgia, warmth and safety. For millions of years humans have built fires with wood and watched the flames dance and the embers sparkle. Pit fires and bonfires are the oldest methods of firing clay into ceramic. Today we have many means of firing ceramic including, most commonly, electric and gas. However, much like microwave ovens and electric stoves in the kitchen, these methods are limited. In the same way that char-grilling food over a wood fire imparts irresistibly nuanced and unique flavours, the technique of wood-firing clay opens up a remarkable palette for artistic expression.
It was the allure of this esoteric technique that drew me from Dolgellau, North Wales to the flatlands of central Illinois, USA in February of 2023. Here I am taking part in an 18 month apprenticeship with master wood-firing potter Simon Levin, a programme that was generously supported by a ‘Create’ grant from the Arts Council of Wales, and the North America Wales Foundation. This film documents our second firing of Simon’s train kiln in May 2023, alongside artists Eva Funderburgh and Wu Meng-Che. The selection of pots that emerged begins to capture some of the warmth of this shared communal experience.
About Elin
Elin Hughes graduated from the BA (Hons) Ceramics degree at Cardiff School of Art and Design in 2019. Since then Elin has shown work in multiple exhibitions across the UK including at Collect Art Fair, Circle Contemporary Gallery and her first solo show at Oriel Plas Glyn y Weddw ‘Ar Ddaear Gofod Bach/On Earth a Little Space’. She was recipient of the National Eisteddfod of Wales’ Young Artist Scholarship in 2022 and in 2023 collaborated with luxury London fragrance company Molton Brown. In February 2023 Elin moved to Pawnee, Illinois, to begin an 18 month apprenticeship with wood-firing potter Simon Levin.
Image: Thunder Train, Elin Hughes
