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Mary McKenzie
Mortar
porcelain, brick, mortar, felt cloth, sleeping bag
various; 6" to 8.5" x 10" to 14" each
About the Work
Mortar was created by laying thin slabs of clay on objects related to 'home': a radiator, a teapot and a toilet seat. The intention was not to recreate these objects but to capture idealized traces of home. The very white porcelain was intentionally left under fired and fragile. Mortared to bricks, whose weight becomes dangerous to their survival, the pieces become a metaphor for the complex relationships between homeless and home. "Move along", "customers only" and "wind-chill factor"—the text written on the different bricks—captures snippets of discourse that the homeless encounter on the street. As a survival feature the work is wrapped in a sleeping bag.
'Home' conveys a complex blend of meanings as does the word 'Mortar': a vessel used for grinding or crushing; a mixture used as a bonding agent; a shell for bombing; a contrivance as for throwing pyrotechnic bombs or lifelines.*
* synopsis from www.dictionary.reference.com
About the Artist
Mary McKenzie is a Toronto based artist who has shown locally, nationally and as far away as Norway, Austria and Korea. Short listed for the Royal Bank New Painter award for Central Canada, Mary is currently attending the School of Crafts and Design at Sheridan College, majoring in ceramics. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Alberta.
