Ewelina is a clay sculptress and clay activist exploring the transformative power of raw materials. Her practice embraces sustainable processes; she has become an alternative kiln builder as a way to link place and community. She believes in the transformative power of raw materials and the benefits of time spent on making together. Currently she is developing a series of vessels made with recycled clay and decorated with a glaze from the Thames. Ewelina comes from a similar, yet much smaller Garden City herself. She will be inviting the public to join her in several locations following the old locations of Becontree Estate Railway system. She will be collecting local materials and then she will be creating a fire sculpture in the garden.

Public Programme

Ewelina’s site-specific project in the garden of Alderman’s Jones’s house is to build a large-scale fire sculpture to celebrate his life, 100 years of Becontree estate, and the unique design of the Garden City. Ewelina thinks of clay as a community development tool and a conversation starter. She will be offering clay workshops to local groups and using the collaborative approach to transmit information and values within the community of Becontree.

The Becontree community used to revolve around collective rituals – gardening competitions, Monday used to be the laundry day, etc. Even today, when the front garden was being taken care of, all neighbours started to maintain theirs – collectively taking care of the way the banjo (cul-de-sac) exists in a communal context. It was also very revolutionary to offer social housing with gas, electricity, nearby schools and garden space back in the 1920s. The latter gave people plenty of outdoor space, the chance to grow food and even keep small farm animals.

The most performative and ritualistic part of the ceramic process is the firing. Her practice serves as an example of developing ancient ways of raku firing to celebrate the process otherwise reserved for the maker and the assistants. Not only does Ewelina invite the public to make in clay and co-design the sculpture but also actively participate in the spectacle. There is the mystical, cathartic, transcendental, metaphorical and philosophical experience of a communal firing. It offers a moment of separation from reality, allowing people to reflect and to fully engage through all senses.