Kim Norton is a trained ceramicist but as she says: “Increasingly I find that I am not rooted within ceramics. My practice more frequently encompasses other materials, while adhering to my core focus on process, space, geology and environment.”

Kim Norton’s interdisciplinary practice

A large part of Kim Norton’s interdisciplinary practice involves project led work, working site- specifically. She explores scale, making work that focuses on how we interact with spaces and intensifying the impact these works have on the human senses. The act of making and using contemporary craft processes underpin this.

“Conscious of the consumption of materials and resources, I approach each project in a considered manner, by questioning how materials are used, where they are sourced and the permanence or impermanence of the resulting objects or installations. I sometimes rework existing works.”

“I often use material from the site’s locality and in some cases use them in their raw state – this can include soils, plant materials, coal, chalk and pigments – to draw attention to their historical and geological significance. This process often includes a narrative around place or a reimagining of the nuances that can be regarded as unimportant or ordinary. Curation of the final works is essential.”

Importance of collaboration and the collective voice

Collaboration is pivotal to Kim Norton’s practice because it fosters new conversations and working methodologies. She is one of the founding members of haptic/tacit with Jane Cairns (ceramics) and Grant Aston (sculpture). It is a collective to show and make ambitious modern craft through a series of thematically-driven exhibitions, events, and publications. Haptic tacit often invite other artists to join them for specific exhibition projects. In 2022, they were joined by Nicky Hirst and Robert Cooper at Groundwork for Fieldwork: between urban and rural.

Kim Norton is also alert to new opportunities for collaboration. “Being part of a specialist environmentally led network particularly initiated by a gallery with such integrity and dedication is imperative right now. It’s difficult to make changes or build awareness whilst standing alone. There is distinctive strength within the collective voice.”