Tierra Hermosa
2025, fired clay, collected sea salt
The title Tierra Hermosa (“beautiful land”) refers to a region in the Philippines. During the Mind the Gap Artist Residency in Tenerife a working process emerged that explores architectural and historical parallels between the old town of La Laguna and colonial-era cities in the Philippines. The Spanish colonial architecture there evokes associations with a cultural landscape shaped by histories of migration and power.
Tenerife itself was originally settled by Berbers who, contrary to their non-maritime tradition, undertook a sea crossing before the island was later colonized by Spain. These layered historical movements form the backdrop for an artistic exploration of questions surrounding (one’s own) origin, belonging, and territorial grounding.
A key element of the process was observing coastal zones where cooled lava meets ocean waves. In places where seawater overflows and evaporates, salt flats form. The resulting salt crusts were collected and dissolved in water. This saline solution was dripped onto objects made of black Spanish clay. As the water evaporated, a fine white layer of salt settled on the surfaces of the fired clay.
The resulting “glaze” is not formed through the usual ceramic firing process, but solely through the evaporation of seawater. This method centers the dialogue between material, place, and transformation.