ABOUT JANE BAMFORD

Jane began studying ceramics in Japan at To En Kai studio in 1993. She subsequently completed a BFA, majoring in Ceramics at the Tasmanian College of the Arts, Hobart, and was awarded the Deans’ roll of excellence in 1995.  Jane was selected as an Associate at the Jam Factory Craft and Design Centre in Adelaide in 1997 and has since exhibited both nationally and internationally. In 2018 she was selected as a finalist in the Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize with a work examining climate change’s impact on the Tasmanian marine environment. From 2017 Jane began working with scientists from CSIRO investigating the use of ceramic material in the marine environment for the spotted handfish (Brachionichthys hirsutus) conservation project. Jane worked for 8 years part-time as a technician in art and ceramics at the Friends’ school in Hobart, Tasmania. She now works from her studio at her coastal home south of Hobart.

Jane creates work over a range of ceramic processes including slab formed, hand-built, slip cast, and weaving. Much of her work is functional and highly designed and she also produces sculptural pieces, often incorporating an element or texture taken from, or observation of, the natural environment.  Predominately made from porcelain clays, her work is primarily informed by research and observation of the coastal, marine, and alpine landscapes of Tasmania. Her observation, connection to place, and environmental awareness have led her to produce work on issues like climate change’s impact on Tasmanian marine environments and the reestablishment of marine habitat.

In 2018 and 2019 Jane undertook two separate Art/Science residencies at the University of Tasmania School of Creative Arts. She used this time to design in collaboration and create for a commission for the CSIRO of 3000 (2018) and 2500 (2019) ceramic artificial spawning habitats (ASH ) to support the critically endangered spotted handfish. These installations of ASH were SCUBA deployed into underwater ‘ASH fields’ to support this critically endangered marine species. In 2019 Jane and the CSIRO were finalists in the Design Tasmania Awards and were selected as winners for the ‘Design for Impact” category for this work. Creating ceramic ASH is a significant project which intersects her ceramic art practice with current scientific research and practice. In September 2018 there is news of the spotted handfish’s first wild spawning around ceramic ASH. It is rare that an arts practice has the opportunity to engage so directly with the natural environment in a manner that is beyond interpretive and has very real achievable positive ecological outcomes.

Now working on multiple projects, Jane has become known for pioneering a ceramic arts practice around collaborating with scientists and creating forms for threatened species support which embody research, functionality, and compassion for the non-human world.

 “I see artistic design and development of habitat support as innovative and important creative work. I believe artists are uniquely placed to transform conversations around species extinction and translate this into work. I am interested in research on species extinction and also the notable and significant 'thinning' of species all around the globe and the factors that affect the social understanding of these events. I want to take my work into the gallery space to bring these issues to this community. I am interested in the way this gallery experience can provide the community the opportunity to buy work to be ‘gifted into habitat’ thus promoting philanthropy in this sector. My work promotes dialogue about the benefits of sharing and having cross-disciplinary knowledge and to share my experiences of art/science collaboration and the skills I believe that an artist may bring to the table.” - Jane Bamford 2021