Collection: Margaret MacDonald

Based in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand, Margaret MacDonald explores clay as a material of transformation. Their practice is deeply connected to the rhythms of the natural world, drawing on geological memory, ecological cycles, and an enduring relationship with place.

Working primarily through slab building and coiling, they create sculptural forms that balance architectural precision with the unpredictable nature of clay.

Each piece embraces the dialogue between control and chance, allowing the material itself to play an active role in its final form.

Natural materials including wood ash, sand, rock dust, glass frit and cellulose fibre are incorporated into the clay body before being subjected to unconventional firing processes. These elemental interactions leave traces of transformation on the surface, reflecting both the forces of nature and the fragility of the environments from which they emerge.

The artist's practice is informed by doctoral research into the history of art and craft education, while drawing inspiration from the ceramic traditions of Aotearoa and the material philosophy of Japanese Mingei. Together, these influences shape a contemporary sculptural language grounded in both technical inquiry and cultural understanding.

Before dedicating their life to ceramics, the artist worked in the field of human rights. That experience continues to inform their practice, where making becomes an act of care, witness and remembrance. Whether creating functional vessels or sculptural installations, each work carries stories of landscape, history and environmental change, serving as a quiet record of place.

For the artist, working with clay is an ongoing conversation with the whenua, a practice where history, material and making become inseparable, and where each object holds both memory and possibility.

The Collection Series: 'Bedrock to Tide'

'Bedrock to Tide' traces a geological journey across four significant landscapes of Te Waipounamu, the South Island. The collection follows a transect from the glaciers of Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere / Franz Josef Glacier and Te Moeka o Tuawe / Fox Glacier, through the dramatic cliffs of Ōtira Gorge and the limestone formations of Kura Tāwhiti / Castle Hill, before arriving at the volcanic coastline of Te Pātaka-o-Rākaihautū / Banks Peninsula.

Each location contributes its own geological history, materials and elemental forces, shaping the forms, surfaces and firing processes within the work. Together, the collection becomes a record of the land reflecting the continual transformation of rock, earth and water over time.