Susie Althorp works across several mediums with a particular interest in ceramics and the connections between science and art. Clay offers an immersive, primal experience that connects her to the earth. Althorp draws on natural history and childhood memories such as beachcombing to consider the human effect on ecological environments. With the curiosity of an amateur naturalist, she collects botanical specimens, examining them closely with attention to form, texture, pattern, and colour. She aims to create a greater connection between the viewer and nature, prompting them to slow down and look closely.
immerse is made of delicate, floating porcelain blades, freely moving and responding to air movement created by the viewer. Porcelain is strong yet fragile, reflecting the vulnerability of ecosystems such as marine kelp forests due to global warming. Within the suspended porcelain, traces of plastic, wire and fishing lines can be seen, echoing the impact of industrialisation on ocean life. Bathed in yellow light as if submerged underwater, the viewer is invited to feel a sense of wonder akin to the sublime of nature. immerse asks the viewer to contemplate their own impact on nature in the current environmental crisis.
