Courses

Jill Clinch

Jill Clinch is a Scottish artist who has previously worked as an emergency nurse and labour ward midwife. She’s specifically interested in the human physiological processes of homeostasis (maintenance of life) and putrefaction (decomposition in death) following trauma from disease, accident, or surgery. She interprets these themes through clay and metal. Her practice includes hand building ceramic sculptures and adding found or bought objects. She is currently researching the global practices of organ donation, the science of bioprinting and tissue regeneration and its future in creating artificial organs. She exhibited in In the Making: Milk at Pallas Projects in 2023.

*Motherlode*, 2023, smooth buff clay, clear and coloured glaze, emulsion, mdf, wood, steel rods, nuts, bolts, 131 x 52 cm, baseboard 95 x 93 cm.

Detail of *Motherlode*, 2023, smooth buff clay, clear and coloured glaze, emulsion, mdf, wood, steel rods, nuts, bolts, 131 x 52 cm, baseboard 95 x 93 cm.

Detail of *Motherlode*, 2023, smooth buff clay, clear and coloured glaze, emulsion, mdf, wood, steel rods, nuts, bolts, 131 x 52 cm.

*Labour*, 2023, smooth buff clay, clear glaze, polyvinylchloride pipes, 46 x 40 x 23 cm.

*Sliced Lung*, 2023, smooth buff clay, clear glaze, soft steel, 45 x 27 x 16cm.

*Hairy Lung*, 2023, smooth buff clay, soft steel, synthetic grass tufts, 40 x 25 x 32 cm.

*Stapled Lung*, 2023, smooth buff clay, clear glaze, soft steel, staples, 40 x 24 x 18 cm.

*Surgical Lung*, 2023, smooth buff clay, clear glaze, soft steel, stainless steel, 53 x 33 x 26 cm.

*Unavoidable Knowledge*, 2023. Group presentation of 4 ceramic pieces from left, *Hairy lung*, *Sliced lung*, *Surgical lung*, *Stapled lung*, smooth buff clay, clear glaze, soft steel, stainless steel, burnt steel, wood, dimensions variable.

*Unavoidable Knowledge*, 2023, (Installation view in Pallas Projects), smooth buff clay, clear glaze, soft steel, stainless steel, burnt steel, wood, dimensions variable.

Installation view in IADT of from left, *Labour*, *Motherlode*, *Unavoidable Knowledge*, 2023, smooth buff clay, glazes, emulsion, synthetic grass tufts, soft steel, stainless steel, burnt steel, mdf, wood, steel rods, nuts, bolts, polyvinylchloride pipes, dimensions variable.

Project Description

This exhibition continues my research on the internal landscape of the human body and it's themes. My work draws upon haptic memories from my experiences working in medical settings. Currently i’m exploring the ‘home’ in homeostasis, the reliability, comfort, and labour in the processes which maintain our bodies. The internal organs and systems work individually and in collaboration in constant service of our needs, supporting us without any conscious effort from our side. I feel there is a security in this consistency, this maintenance of an equilibrium by our internal selves, whose sole purpose is to sustain us.
These systems continue through sudden trauma and illness where there is a lack of control and unpredictability of outcome.
The titles Labour and Motherlode invoke the themes of homeostasis: work, nurturing, abundance, and balance. The inclusion of part of a recognisable system from our external homes, like plumbing, expresses the ordinary everyday work of our extraordinary bodies. Our home for life, where we will always live.