Tentacle Vessels

Tentacle Vessels

Jay Graham

Tentacle Vessels is a contemporary take on zoomorphic vessels, a tradition of combining functional vessels with animal characteristics. I use the zoomorphic vessel as a way to examine the ways that we think about pottery as a static object. I explore the ways that viewers interact with functional pottery, and how that can be changed through form, texture, and color. I use negative space to activate the vessels, inviting viewers to look at my creations as living objects. The work creates a sense of fragility by using thin, delicate porcelain to balance heavier vessels in the air. Each piece has been made it’s own unique, live creature through the use of differing forms, textures, and colored glazes while still being united as part of a group. The use of texture on the surface invokes a sense of curiosity in the viewer, asking them to think about what it would be like to hold and feel these delicate objects. I invite the viewer to consider how the work is meant to be interacted with – should it be held and used, treated as though it’s living creature? Or should it be put on display, left alone, like a vase in a museum? How would they use one of these vessels?

2026