Ripples
Eric Stoll
Industrial Design | Griffith University
“The sand around the shell may move or change shape, but the shell always belongs.”
MATERIALS: timber+rock
Artist Statement
In discussions on the meaning of home, my thoughts converged to my parents. Noticing that the objects and places I identified with were centred around the people I love, I wanted to express the gratitude for the safe, calm and kind home they provided. I explored the connections between home as a country, as people, and as familiar objects, while also reflecting on a more inward sense of home. The feeling of contentment and comfort within ones environment, within oneself. This piece reflects what I saw. The strength of a loving family’s support, the beauty in the stones beneath my feet, the sense of belonging and sense of self I carry with me. Shaped by my past, my experiences, and the people I cherish, I am home.
Synopsis
This sculpture embodies my evolving understanding of home, shown through material, form, and process. The journey began with collecting materials tied to my past, each chosen for its personal and geographical significance. The first totem is carved from a fallen branch of forest red gum from my family home. It represents masculine and feminine figures in a protective posture. The negative space between them forms a foetal shape, symbolising the self. The second totem is a columnar basalt stone from Fingal Beach, where my parents were married and my grandmother’s ashes were scattered. This represents Bundjalung country where I grew up, and all those who have lived here. The third is a sleek, veined river stone, found by my girlfriend in a creek tied to close friendships. It embodies future, peace, fluidity, and balance.These totems are interchangeable on an oval black wattle base, salvaged from offcut timber. Its sand ripple design reflects movement and change in the world, subtly affected by the presence of the totems. Carving these revealed the intrinsic qualities of each material, basalt’s unyielding solidity, the surprising hardness of red gum, and the effortless smoothness of the river stone. Each element dictated its form, reinforcing the idea that home is not only something we shape but something that shapes us in return. By allowing the materials to shape the design, I collaborated with country, deepening my connection to place and expanding my sense of belonging. Home, I realised, is not just a location or memory, itisfluid, carried forward, and redefined through experience. In making this piece, I found not only a reflection of where I come from, but a growing understanding of the home I continue to build, both within myself and in the world around me.
