Hourglasses

In this collection, I explore memory and the impressions it leaves. Each cylinder began as a two-pound ball of clay, thrown on the wheel. They started out nearly identical but were then squeezed, squashed, or reshaped. Individually, each piece may not seem like much, but together, they create something more—a work of art.

When a memory first forms, it’s untouched, fresh. But as time passes, as our perceptions, emotions, and thoughts evolve, that memory changes too. It still holds its core essence, yet its appearance shifts. Like these cylinders, originally formed in a uniform shape, they’ve been transformed over time. I chose the cylinder because my own memory of this shape has been influenced and altered by my environment and the people around me.

This project became a kind of exposure therapy. I used to dread throwing on the wheel; it felt tedious and boring. But my perception shifted when my path crossed with someone who made the process enjoyable. I began throwing as much as possible, working just to spend time with them. As time moved on, my memories of those moments grew bittersweet, making the wheel a source of mixed emotions. This project helped me reshape that experience again. Altering these once-perfect cylinders gave the forms new power, showing me how time changes everything.

This work is both broad and deeply personal. It’s about how impressions and time shape our memories, how some memories are fleeting while others are deeply formative. Together, they build us into something unique, a work of art shaped by time and experience.

Why call it Hourglass? Because time is always moving, carrying our memories like sand through the contraption of life, until it eventually stops.