Meet Chela Edmund

Unique, colourful and functional objects reign supreme at Takeawei Shop on Fitzroy’s Brunswick Street — Chela’s handcrafted creations pop against gallery-esque white walls.

We have recently featured Chela’s Takeawei pieces in the common area spaces at Grocon’s Home Richmond.

Here are a few words we shared:

Clay is wet and messy, and ancient and free — so when you fire it and set it in its permanent form, what memory of its former state do you capture?

They say clay has a memory, it feels every bump, scratch and compression, storing this information until it resurfaces after firing. I feel like my work is to create new memory within the material. I work with it but also with my own agenda, constantly urging it from collapsing, cracking and returning to it’s former state. My forms are canvases for the pastel glazes I use to create colourful landscapes, functional artworks that can be used every day.

‘My forms are canvases for the pastel glazes creating colourful landscapes and functional artworks that can be used every day.’

Ceramics have been found in ruins across time and place and have been essential part of understanding civilisations — are there elements of fabrication, form or function from history that particularly resonate with you?

Historically pottery has played an integral part in the lives of everyday people as both functional object and artwork. I like the idea that the beauty of a piece is not diminished by its use. A piece can be practical, become part of everyday routines like drinking a simple cup of coffee but still bring so much joy and reflection to the experience.