Cara Guthrie

Our first Maker in Residence, ceramicist Cara Guthrie, occupied the studio from 11th September – 6th October 2017.

The residency resulted in the production of a number of study pieces reflecting the interests and working processes characteristic of both Cara and Mary Duggan Architects’ work.

For a private house project in South Somerset, MDA undertook a process of speculative research into the use of materials. One such branch of enquiry led to the production of a large-scale façade model, made to interrogate the use and application of stone and sand procured from local quarries and cast in-situ. The resultant wall surface, highly varied in tone and texture, is redolent of the ground on which the proposed building is to be constructed. In parallel with this study, Cara adopted an approach to the production of a ceramic vessel focussed on organic material. Nettles, hogseed, thistle and hawthorn, were collected from the site and reduced to ash in a furnace. The ash was then used to create a glaze and applied to the vessel to achieve an appearance resembling that of the walls of the proposed house.

The objects created by Cara during her time in the studio are a result of a continuous and wide-ranging conversation between her and various members of the studio.

Photographs by Cara Guthrie & MDA.
Ceramics by Cara Guthrie