Flaming Heart of the Suburbs

Ceramic Sculpture 34" x 13" x 11"

This piece was recently in a show at the Museo Internazionale dell Arti Applicate Oggi in Turin, Italy in a wonderful show called the Grand Theater of Ceramics, in conjunction with the 2008 World Congress of Architecture.

As this piece was a commentary on my background as the daughter of an architect, the selection of this piece as a representative of California Funk ceramic movement in the show was particularly apropos. My father's firm was known for their work in the Washington DC Beltway area, as a major shaper of the suburbs.

As a curious, creative soul, a large goal after high school was my wish to escape from the confines of the suburbs and see a larger world. This piece was about my flight, with the ladders and paths representing my way out. The suburbs are in flames in the piece as is the nuclear family in the heart of the piece, a common story in my world.

Claudia Cohen