Bjork Haraldsdottir: “My professional background is in Architecture and has a strong influence on my work. Natural forms reflecting my upbringing in Iceland and exposure to the extraordinary in nature are also reference points. Inspiration is found in anything from architectural form, natural materiality, Nordic pattern and folklore.
Architecture is a complex and rewarding creative endeavour but is constrained by a vast array of technical and legislative issues. I first started making ceramics as an antidote to those creative chains; small architecture with no brief and no client. Producing un-commissioned artwork strips away the burden of those constraints to leave only the creative act, a liberating situation and an issue that I am not complacent about. My work however, remains unequivocally architectural to my eyes, and is influenced by my training and profession in many ways. I still plan and draw works before they are made like an Architect and ‘feel’ and adapt the work as it is made like an artist.”
