Eclipsed Grotto

Artist(s) Name
Yuri Wiedenhofer

Description of Work
Jindabyne’s first sculpture installation was completed on the foreshore of the lake in 2007. Yuri Wiedenhofer was the winner of the 2004 Jindabyne sculpture event ‘Lake, Light Sculpture’ and was awarded a commission to create a site specific sculpture - a ceramic fire sculpture titled ‘Eclipsed Grotto’ made possible via a grant from Arts NSW. Yuri is a renowned Australian wood firing ceramic artist. He is a purist who works with localised natural materials minimising the use of any commercial materials. After extensive digging Yuri collected over 6 tons of local clay, feldspar, coal, basalt and timber he built a 10ft clay dome out of the local materials which was carefully inlaid with glass bottles, cored wood and coal, over a series of months and enduring the harsh winter season of the Snowy Mountains, Yuri’s sculpture grew to become three separate domed skins, each containing an assortment of local materials and carefully constructed to be able to contain temperatures of 1400 degrees Celsius whilst having the technical ability of creating draughts and flows.

The work was fired periodically over several years in conjunction with major community events. The first spectacular firing took place in September 2007 over a period of three days and three nights, one of which was timed to coincide with a total eclipse of the moon.

Artist Statement
The piece, in 2007 was nestled into a grassy knoll. I created a large dome shaped kiln. The form rises out of the eroded granite bank. Nature creates decomposed granite which is eventually broken down to clay, my piece reverses that process, through creating a structure with clay and firing it to 1400 degrees Celsius it has in effect become a rock again.

Location of Art
The sculpture, can be found during low water levels at Lake Jindabyne Foreshore, Jindabyne NSW

Installed
2007

Primary Materials
Basalt and clay

Type
Sculpture