Harriet Hellman is a multi-disciplinary artist working primarily in ceramic sculpture. Her practice is deeply rooted in environmental engagement.
“ My work explores ecological fragility in coastal landscapes, addressing issues such as ocean warming, pollution, and coastal erosion. Through performative making practices in ceramics, drawing, photography, and film, I investigate the relationship between ‘human’ time and ‘deep’ time in nature.”
Site responsive work
Using unfired wild clay directly on the shoreline, Harriet Hellman creates site-responsive work that captures the energy of the moment, allowing the shoreline to imprint itself onto the clay. By surrendering these pieces to the tide, she embraces natural transformation, questioning ideas of impermanence, extraction, and human intervention in fragile ecosystems.
“The ceaseless cycle of the natural elements and the effect of climate change on the geology of the coastline embeds itself in my making both physically and emotionally. The process of layering, tearing and building with the clay creates a visceral response in me that is both immediate and meditative. “
Harriet Hellman works with the land rather than imposing upon it. Her practice reflects her broader interest in material agency.
Sensitivity to materials
Harriet Hellman’s sensitivity to materials also applies to the potentially destructive effects of extractive practices and how she might engage more deeply with these issues via her work.
“Recently, I have been studying the destructive effects of deep sea mining. The full environmental impacts of this practice are still hard to predict, but they’re likely to be highly damaging, both within and beyond the areas being mined. The minerals being mined by corporations such as manganese, nickel and copper, are also materials that I use in my ceramic practice. Svalbard is showing the effects of climate change faster than other areas on the planet and I feel it is crucial to document this from a creative viewpoint.
Arctic residency
In 2024 Harriet Hellman was invited to take part in a residency on an Arctic expedition, with the organisation, The Arctic Circle. Established in 2009, The Arctic Circle brings together international artists of all disciplines, scientists, architects, and educators who collectively explore the high-Arctic Svalbard Archipelago and Arctic Ocean aboard a specially outfitted expedition vessel. The residency provides a shared experience for its participants to engage in the myriad issues relevant to our time and to develop professionally through fieldwork and research, interdisciplinary collaborations, exhibition opportunities, and public and classroom engagement.
The process of wood firing using Anagama and soda kilns while on a residency in Denmark took Harriet on a new journey, allowing her to embrace the alchemy of the kiln and develop her practice both in the UK and abroad.
Having completed an MA in Ceramics and Glass at the Royal College of Art in 2020, Harriet Hellman has gone on to exhibit her work internationally and has been awarded ceramic residencies in Denmark, UK, Ireland and Japan. She was also shortlisted for the Sustainability First Art Prize 2021.
