Kids love rules. Play a game with any five-year-old. And they’ll ignore the actual rules of the game but create their own
-James Victore
MASA MADRE
Tales of creation
Masa madre /mʌsʌ mʌdre / noun
Masa madre translates from Spanish as sourdough.
Sourdough is a symbiotic culture of yeasts naturally present in foods, such as cereals, responsible for the fermentation of wine and beer, and bacteria present in the environment. Traditionally it has been used to ferment bread, before commercial yeast existed.
Tale /teɪl/ noun
a story, especially one that might be invented or difficult to believe
Masa madre ·Tales of creation recreates a fantasy narrative journey about corporality and play. It is a space to explore such concepts as freedom of bodily expression and creative play crossing the line of common.
Similar to fermenting dough, my clay sculptures grow in unexpected directions. Anthropomorphic sculptures consist of human body parts assembled in a non-realistic manner. The concept of gender is questioned in these sculptures, tracing parallels with actual search for new forms of gender identity of the society. I dress up my sculptures. Doing so, I claim a space for play and create an invitation to interaction.
Masa madre · Tales of creation sculptures are hand built from stoneware clay mixed with organic matter - usually seeds. Seeds mixed into clay sprout and grow inspiring the material with life force energy and create intricate texture after firing. After firing, pieces are glazed with a Shino glaze of my own formulation and fired at cone 10 (1305ºC). The clothes are custom made.
Clothes are custom made by Ophélie Berton @_ma_atelier
Masa madre project pieces have been shown at
Certàmen d'arts plàstiques Binissalem, Majorca 2022
Group show Espai Joan Serra Manacor, Majorca 2022
Group show at IncArt festival in Inca, Majorca 2022
Pieces dimensions and availability:
Venus jar H31cm W28cm. Available
Venus H26cm W41cm. In privat collection
Monk H35cm W39,5cm. Available
Vānus callipyge H39,5cm W39,5cm. Available
Siski-piski H41cm W38cm. Available