Barragem

Barragem is a unique, hand-built ceramic artwork from the ongoing series If the Earth Wasn’t Round. Crafted in earthenware and finished with natural oxide glazes, the piece takes its title from the Portuguese word for “dam”, referring here to the reservoirs that shape the rural landscape of Alentejo and inspire much of my relationship with water, memory and place.
 
Inspired by the shifting tones of water within remembered landscapes, Poça explores the continuous dialogue between water and land. Its form emerges through a slow and intuitive process, where gesture follows and embraces the natural qualities of clay.
 
The surface is developed with natural oxide glazes, applied by brush, whose chromatic variations evoke the subtle tones of the surrounding landscape. Between control and chance, colour, texture and material undergo subtle transformations that make each work unique.
 
Built entirely by hand without the use of moulds, Poça reflects the process-led nature of my ceramic practice. Like each abstract ceramic landscape in the series, it becomes a singular object where matter, memory and place meet in a quiet expression of balance and contemplation.
 
Materials: Earthenware, natural oxide glazes
Technique: Hand-built, brush-glazed
Series: If the Earth Wasn’t Round
Original artwork: Unique piece
 
Includes a Certificate of Authenticity.