Tardigrade vase (large)

Tardigrade is a group of three vases in large, medium, and small, inspired by the tardigrade, or water bear. The work explores Candice Lau’s ongoing experimentation with leather and clay, bringing together two materials with seemingly opposing properties.

Having worked with leather for over a decade and introduced clay into her practice, Lau is interested in finding ways for the two materials to inform and transform one another. Drawn to the tardigrade’s leather-like skin and the way its round body contorts, crinkles, and shifts as it moves, Lau used the creature as a starting point to explore how movement and softness could be captured in clay.

The original form was constructed in leather, stretched between two domed shapes, stuffed, twisted, and compressed. This experimental process allowed Lau to manipulate the material intuitively, creating folds and distortions that would be difficult to achieve through clay alone. A plaster mould was then taken from the leather form to produce slip-cast ceramic vases, effectively translating the movement of leather into clay. A glossy glaze accentuates the dips and folds, preserving the material memory of the original form and creating a seamless dialogue between the two materials.