Holly Dawes

BA (Hons) Artist Designer Maker


I strive to make work that speaks of fleeting moments of time, and explores the relationship between human existence and the environment. I make to express the frictions between movement and stillness, and the beauty of the naturally formed, the organic and imperfect. I make to be connected with the world of materials and the environment around me. Through this connection with material and environment comes a meditative quality.

The hand-making of every aspect of my work is important, as my own personal touch is imprinted onto the life of the materials I use, melding my own self with the objects being created, a collaboration of material and human agency. I work with many different materials exploring the alchemical properties of each, for example the growth of patinas on copper and the changing states of clay to ceramic, melding traditional techniques with modern technologies. These materials although different can speak to one another through similarities in colour, form and texture.

Through the use of tactile interactions, the viewer becomes a part of the work; their actions made visible. These interactions bring people together and encourage connections. Each object is connected in a web of data and when the viewer interacts they become a part of that web.


Rwy’n ymdrechu i wneud gwaith sy’n sôn am eiliadau gwibiog mewn amser, ac sy’n archwilio’r berthynas rhwng bodolaeth yr hil ddynol a’r amgylchedd. Byddaf yn gwneud er mwyn mynegi’r ffrithiant rhwng symud a llonyddwch, a harddwch y pethau a ffurfiwyd yn naturiol, yr organig a’r amherffaith. Byddaf yn gwneud er mwyn cael bod mewn cyswllt â byd deunyddiau a’r amgylchedd o’m cwmpas. Drwy’r cyswllt hwn â deunydd a’r amgylchedd bydd elfen fyfyriol yn datblygu.

Mae gwneud pob elfen o’m gwaith â’r llaw yn bwysig gan y bydd fy nghyffyrddiad personol wedi’i argraffu ar fywyd y deunyddiau y byddaf yn eu defnyddio, gan gyfuno fy hunan â’r gwrthrychau a fydd yn cael eu creu, cydweithrediad deunydd ac asiant dynol. Byddaf yn gweithio gyda llawer o ddeunyddiau gwahanol ac yn archwilio priodweddau alcemegol pob un ohonynt, er enghraifft twf patina ar gopr a chyflwr clai yn newid i geramig, cyfuno technegau traddodiadol â thechnolegau modern. Er bod y deunyddiau hyn yn wahanol i’w gilydd, eto i gyd gallan nhw siarad â’i gilydd drwy ymdebygu o ran eu lliw, eu ffurf a’u gwead.

Drwy ddefnyddio rhyngweithio cyffyrddol, daw’r gwylwyr yn rhan o’r gwaith a daw’r hyn a wnânt yn weladwy. Daw’r rhyngweithio hwn â phobl at ei gilydd gan annog cysylltiadau. Mae pob gwrthrych wedi’i gysylltu mewn gwe o ddata a phan fydd y gwylwyr yn rhyngweithio, fe ddôn nhw yn rhan o’r we honno.

Other Exhibitors:

Emma Don

Emma Don

Everything I Can See is an autoethnographic project exploring sight through stop motion animation. Since receiving a sight threatening diagnosis in 2012, I have become even more aware of the precious sense informing my artwork. A remission period, after 10 years of...

Bethan Lowri Hughes Jones

Bethan Lowri Hughes Jones

Gwyllt y Ddaear This collection is a combination of commercial and hand-sourced materials; combined to improve the sustainability of my collection. Made from commercial terracotta, which I reclaimed, the main glaze ingredient was wild clay from Traeth Aberlleiniog,...

Brynn Alred

Brynn Alred

How can we create a coexistence with the climate we live in? As a maker and craftsman I seek to nurture an embodied connection with the environments we find ourselves in. Revealing connections between materials and land. Combining these with the people, plants and...

Zoe Worton

Zoe Worton

Currently working in clay and wood, I have created a body of work that demonstrates an eclectic range of processes including hand carving, wood turning, ceramics and advanced technologies. Wood has become my prime material in all its forms, having a functional basis...

Bethan Grace Mason

Bethan Grace Mason

Ocean Essence My admiration for the coastline and the replication of textural elements that are often overlooked is what formed my enthusiasm for this project. ‘Ocean Essence,’ embodies the surroundings of specific shorelines to present wall art through texture,...

Harri Hughes

Harri Hughes

Machine Making Machine Making explores the development of autonomous manufacturing devices, pushing the boundaries of what is possible with 3D printing clay, and developing novel approaches to ceramic manufacture. Drawing inspiration from my interest in throwing, I...