terracotta sconce

created for overlay
presented by cj cornish + locki humphrey

overlay presented visions of a new australian heritage through the eyes of architects, interior and object designers. the work presented was a fresh interpretation of an australian heritage aesthetic from the inside out investigating how we may more authentically reflect our climate and context.

Used throughout the 20th Century in Australia, terracotta plumbing pipes have undergone a gradual phase-out in favour of PVC since the 1980s as they gradually crack, crumble and are renovated away into historical obsolescence.

until the mid-1970s, most pipes used in australia were salt glazed terracotta, but for a brief window from the late 1970s until the 1990s, unglazed terracotta pipes like these were the primary product.

These hand-cut reclaimed clay pipes, draped with soft recycled linen, are left raw to highlight scars borne from years spent underground. The clay facade is supported by solid aluminium rods and an organic 'sculpted' Tasmanian Oak base.