Slat-Happy, 2024

This sculptural vase is an exploration of colour, architectural motifs and a consideration of the elements that shape our everyday environment. To be honest, the idea when I first conceptualised it was maybe a little silly. I was thinking how much I love venetian blinds. I love the aesthetics of them. I love how the shadows they create across my bedroom in the afternoon. I love their repetition and how they just seem to hover in the air. They’re kind of special, despite what some might think. I wanted to really highlight that idea of hovering in space, kind of weightless in a way. Obviously, that’s seen in the hanging slats, but it resonates out to the assemblage of colours and shapes, all sitting around each other and never quite touching. It’s like a little architectural joke, mixing things up and making you think twice about something as basic as a window covering. Through this work, I want to celebrate the beauty and fun in the mundane, to appreciate the small, kooky details that make our everyday experiences unique, and to really appreciate the ways design influences the spaces we live in, which in turn also affects us emotionally with these small, gorgeous, private, nothing moments.

Tom Summers (b. 1990, Brisbane) is a queer ceramic artist and product designer who is currently based in Tarndanya, Adelaide. A recent alumnus of JamFactory Associate Program in the Ceramic Studio, Summers has focused his handbuilding practice on a surreal and personal reflection of the built environment that surrounds us, while also exploring colour through the use of lurid pigment-infused clay.

In September 2024, Tom will be completing seven-week residency in Jingdezhen, China, to further explore what can be done with his brand of stained and unglazed porcelain.