In this playful yet sculpturally rich series, Child immortalises popcorn, the every day, effervescent snack, in ceramic form.
Madeleine Child is a celebrated New Zealand ceramicist, trained both locally and internationally.
As she explains, the idea was born from her children’s insistence on colourful, sugary popcorn: what began as a familial concession evolved into a lifelong obsession with its “fleshy gorgeousness and organic fecundity.”
Each piece is hand-built from clay, often glazed in vibrant colours or finished with a delicate gold lustre. Despite the whimsy, there is a depth to these works: the forms are not predictable or uniform, reflecting Child’s embrace of chance, gravity, and process.
Popcorn for her is both subject and metaphor; a memory-laden symbol of delight, indulgence, and the absurd charm of the ordinary. Through these sculptural kernels, she invites us to reconsider the small explosions in our daily lives, and reminds us that joy, like clay, can be shaped, but never fully controlled.
In this playful yet sculpturally rich series, Child immortalises popcorn, the every day, effervescent snack, in ceramic form.
Madeleine Child is a celebrated New Zealand ceramicist, trained both locally and internationally.
As she explains, the idea was born from her children’s insistence on colourful, sugary popcorn: what began as a familial concession evolved into a lifelong obsession with its “fleshy gorgeousness and organic fecundity.”
Each piece is hand-built from clay, often glazed in vibrant colours or finished with a delicate gold lustre. Despite the whimsy, there is a depth to these works: the forms are not predictable or uniform, reflecting Child’s embrace of chance, gravity, and process.
Popcorn for her is both subject and metaphor; a memory-laden symbol of delight, indulgence, and the absurd charm of the ordinary. Through these sculptural kernels, she invites us to reconsider the small explosions in our daily lives, and reminds us that joy, like clay, can be shaped, but never fully controlled.
In this playful yet sculpturally rich series, Child immortalises popcorn, the every day, effervescent snack, in ceramic form.
Madeleine Child is a celebrated New Zealand ceramicist, trained both locally and internationally.
As she explains, the idea was born from her children’s insistence on colourful, sugary popcorn: what began as a familial concession evolved into a lifelong obsession with its “fleshy gorgeousness and organic fecundity.”
Each piece is hand-built from clay, often glazed in vibrant colours or finished with a delicate gold lustre. Despite the whimsy, there is a depth to these works: the forms are not predictable or uniform, reflecting Child’s embrace of chance, gravity, and process.
Popcorn for her is both subject and metaphor; a memory-laden symbol of delight, indulgence, and the absurd charm of the ordinary. Through these sculptural kernels, she invites us to reconsider the small explosions in our daily lives, and reminds us that joy, like clay, can be shaped, but never fully controlled.
