Catalyst of Connection
Lily Pertl
Master of Architecture University of South Australia
“Candles, campfires, flames, Harth, wherever it may be, home, camping or travelling, gathering around a flame provides a sense of comfort, connection and home.”
MATERIALS: timber + iron bark resin + beeswax
Artist Statement
Home is light, warmth, connection, and flame is central. A candle on every surface, lit morning, noon and night. A campfire collectively constructed with the gathering of resources, the artful balancing of wood the flames’ catalyst and home, a spark, alight, the nurturing of the flame til’ past midnight. Staring into the flames glow is at once transportive and grounding, it calls on past memories of connections woven through conversation over flame, in familiar and unfamiliar places.
In the absence of a flames glow, space feels unfocused, cold, expansive, and lifeless. Though once the flame is alight, space instantly fills with a warm glow, a comforting and containing light, a mesmerizing, ever-changing, complex movement creating a calm yet lively feeling of space.
Synopsis
‘Catalyst of Connection’ is an expression of flame as ‘HOME’ and the experiences, places, connections, and materials that incapsulate its meaning for me. Flame is elemental, powerful, and is foundational in the experiences of people throughout time. Flame harbors a destructive power and yet flame also is a symbol of light and hope. Symbolic of rebirth, flame scorches the dry South Australian landscape burning away overgrown flora and creating opportunity for regrowth and regeneration. Flame has given birth to the resilient landscapes, flora and familiar materials of home that I have sourced to create my living belonging. The curved eucalyptus wooden element grounds and contains the piece, like the home of the flame and the fuel of the fire, it requires balancing and facilitates movement and connection. The expressed grain of the timber, a fingerprint of its life, giving the impression of flame-like patterns across its surface. Cradled amidst the wooden curvature lies the Redgum strip veneer vessel, its form and rich materiality represent the warmth, movement and ethereal qualities of flame as it hovers over the containing timber element. Hidden within the vessel lies a treasure, the golden amber resin of the Ironbark tree. When threatened, the Ironbark bleeds its glistening lifeblood sap, turning over time into its rough black bark exterior protecting it from flame. The amber symbolises the transfixing transparency, raw beauty, and regenerative capacity held within the properties of flame. The materials, form, process, and composition of my living belonging have all facilitated a deep reflection and connection to HOMEs meaning for me. Each element nestles within one another representing the containing comfort of flames light, whilst its curves are abstracted from the patterns of people gathering around flame. As you hold ‘Catalyst of Connection’, play, balance, rotate, spin it is designed with movement in mind.
To me that love is stored in the memories that all my belongings hold. I am reminded of my Grandparents place and mostly the COUNTRY that surrounds it. Aswell as days with friends filled with laughs and joy. Or the numerous campsites where we have learned and yarned far into the night. Discovering new things about the natural world and understanding the systems and forces at play. COUNTRY has been the facilitator of these memories. Providing me, my friends and family the means to connect and feel free. I belong with those memories, as does everyone involved. We share the senses that deepen our connection to each other and COUNTRY. These senses will forever feel like HOME. It is not stagnant but sculpts and moulds as we grow, moving with us.
