Shapes of My Clay was an exhibition produced for Lord Whitney, Leeds, during the April 2021 lockdown. As part of their residency programme supported by Leeds Inspired, I had five days to build, curate and shoot an exhibition. I produced a new body of clay sculptures that came from the process of hand building using clay slabs, whilst exploring my fascination at the time with the colour electric blue - a colour that feels like home to me.

During this time I was finding a lot of comfort in drawing bold, large shapes, and was reconnecting with the work of Anthony Caro, specifically Promenade (1996), on display at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

Shapes of My Clay came about through processes of subconscious thinking and intuitive making throughout a period of restricted freedom. This produced an instinctive way of working: the shapes of the sculptures were made by cutting into the clay, and seeing what that left behind. I also made plinths that were sympathetic to the ceramics and introduced blue light into the installation to make the show more immersive.

Angular ceramic sculptures sat on plinths, surrounded by bright, blue neon lights. The blue lighting framed the works from different vantage points, guiding the viewer through the space. The intention behind using blue light was to submerge the viewers in blue, intensifying the hues of the ceramic sculptures and their supports, especially during night time viewing. I hoped for the viewer to come away with a sense of calm after spending time in the exhibition.

The work was filmed by Rees Newnes and screened as an online exhibition to enable audiences to experience the work whilst galleries were closed. I worked closely with Rees to ensure the viewer might experience the work as if they were there themselves. We did this by choosing specific shots and including a lot of camera movement.