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Contemporary Design

Little Creatures by Nina Naveršnik

”Once upon a time, when magic was still strong in all parts of the world, a curious event took place every spring. As the snow began to melt, revealing the first plants, sometimes, if you were lucky, the soil beneath your feet would come to life. They called them Little Creatures. Some say they carry messages, and should you listen closely, a little creature might have one for you.”
three plants in pots and heaps of little ceramic creatures around them

When I was a little girl, helping my mom in the garden, I imagined there were little people living in hidden parts of the garden. They would only come to life when nobody was watching. This project is a deep dive into my childhood and on the other side, an exploration of who I am as a creative - where does my creative curiosity naturally take me?

close of the little creatures next to plant pots
close-up of a little creature
close-up of a little creatures on top of each other
close-up of a little creatures next to each other

The creature on the left is called Pi. Pi is a shy little creature, smaller than most. Dark orange, a bit like the shade of a marigold. Always tilting slightly to one side because one of her legs is a bit shorter. She has always been insecure about it. Even though Pi was made to endure in a harsh and dry land full of sand and few creatures, she has always dreamed of learning to play the bagpipes for her friends. Her dream led her to the northernmost lands, where I met her two weeks ago, on Thursday. She ended up a bit too far in the east, I told her, and directed Pi across the Baltic and the North Sea, towards the Land of the Brave!

bunch of little creatures next to two plants in pots
making of little creatures
little creatures about to hit the kiln
a close-up of making of little creatues

Studio photos: Anne Kinnunen

Process photos: Nina Naveršnik

More Personal Exploration projects:

ceramic pots and vases in outdoors next to sea

Till Death Do Us Together by Sesilia Pirttimaa

Death does not part us, it unites us. We all die eventually. Ten hand-built raw clay vases have been left in nature to fall apart, disintegrate and dissolve into the environment, symbolizing the death of loved ones. The vases have been photographed daily to reveal their decomposition. The artist has not had to face the death of a close relative and the resulting grief that is inevitably coming. With this artwork, she wants to prepare for it and address the topic she fears.

Contemporary Design
text "if i don't remember this nobody will* repeated on a canvas

If I Don’t Remember This, Nobody Will by Zoë Robertson

The act of remembering takes its toll: each recall creates distance from the initial event, a memory of the memory. If I Don’t Remember This, Nobody Will manifests the intangible: what does forgetting look like?

Contemporary Design
Several photos overlaid on top on each other showing different stages of movement.

weight/resilience by Sonja Dallyn

Documentation from artistic research

Contemporary Design
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