Vessels around the void
- Brigitte first worked as a veterinarian
- She is inspired by meditation and dreams
- Her work questions the essence of our humanity
After working as a veterinarian in Africa, France and Belgium, Brigitte Arbelot turned to ceramics. In 2017, she opened her own workshop in Brussels, where she focuses on ceramic sculptures and also makes utilitarian pieces. “I changed my life because working with clay is the best way to connect to my inner self and to the world,” she says. For Brigitte, her work acts as an interface between her consciousness and unconsciousness, the visible and invisible. She seeks links between immaterial emotions, vital energies and mineral matter. “The metamorphosis of clay during the working process allows me to give body to the notion of transformation and to question the essence of our humanity. My abstract sculptures are built like vessels around the void that is similar to the breath of life.”
INTERVIEW
Working the clay alone in my studio in a state of deep concentration, which is a form of trance or meditation. Meditative states of mind are an important source of inspiration, just like dreams.
Although I seek for harmony in the shape and glaze, I accept the unexpected and a form of imperfection. It is difficult to explain but during the long and precarious building process, there is a time when a piece acquires a life of its own, it is as if it starts to breathe.
Working with clay is a very technical and time-consuming job. It takes several weeks to carry out the building, drying, firing and glazing of my sculptures. Clay teaches you patience and humility.
Be patient, the clay will shape you!
