Bircan Harper

Not only do I use various methods to make my vessels, but also employ a range of techniques, such as printmaking, analog photography, and collage works to create intricate, animated surfaces.

Q&A

Artist Statement

BIRCAN HARPER CERAMICS: Bircan works with earthenware, stoneware, buff raku, and textured clays, which have a large firing range and beautiful soft varied tones after bisque firing. They are also tolerant to heat-shock which gives her lots of scope for experimentation with glazes and firing techniques. Due to the nature of the clays, glazes and image techniques her pieces are purely decorative, non-functional ware.Her vessels always have some form of decoration which gives them a tactile, interesting, and complex quality making it virtually
impossible to resist the urge to look closer. Bircan’s work explores the human experience in relation to the cultural connection between past, present, and future and also influences between different cultures.All the vessels and sculptures have been handmade by Bircan and, due to her making technique, each piece is unique. Working in a variety of traditional media such as ceramics, printmaking, analog photography, and collage works; Bircan is best known for her ability to combine delicately crafted ceramic objects with a story from a memory with a hidden emotion. Her subject matter inspiration is drawn from her own photography during the exploration of living and traveling in different countries.