Designer Spotlight | Milly Dent Studio

MILLY DENT STUDIO

I was originally drawn to ceramics when I took a class during my design degree. I'd never worked with the material before, but the moment I got my hands into clay, something clicked. There's a physical, tactile connection to it that none of the other mediums I'd worked with had - you're shaping something with your hands, not a tool or a screen between you and the object. I still remember the first pieces I made, a set of hand built plant pots. Clumsy, but I was hooked. It felt intuitive in a way nothing else had, and I fell in love with the material instantly.

My journey as a maker began soon after graduating from university. I set up my small ceramic studio and started making, and things grew organically, I was selling my work through friends and friends of friends, then Instagram, and eventually a website. I'd first joined a communal pottery studio where I started making work, but was eventually asked to leave because I was making too much for the small space. A friend and I then set up our own space, before I went on to establish my own studio in Marrickville. As soon as I started working with ceramics, I loved what I could make with the material, and I knew I wanted to make it my full-time practice.

A typical day for me usually involves waking up at the crack of dawn with my two-year-old twins - lots of fun amid the chaos before we get out the door, where Wallace (my English Springer Spaniel pup) and I go for a quick play in the park before heading to the studio. The morning starts with a bit of admin, emails, and making a list of what I need to do that day, but I always try to get my hands into clay as soon as I can. When I'm working on a new project, my anticipation and excitement is at an all-time high - it doesn't matter that I've been making for twelve years, every time I open the kiln I get a real kick seeing what's inside. Casting, glazing, building, and packing are all squeezed into every day.

I feel most inspired when I'm by the sea, particularly sitting on the rocks or looking out over the ocean. Now (August) is my favourite time of year because of the whales, there's something about looking out to the horizon that gives me lots of space to think creatively. I haven't had as much opportunity to do that recently, so I take little pockets of inspiration where I can - walking through the park with the twins, or being anywhere outdoors, really.

All of my work has always been inspired by the Sydney coastline, and the forms and textures found along that environment. The Hexacorallia sconce is inspired by the structure of that particular coral - specifically the way it looks under a microscope.. The Urchin sconce is a more literal translation, drawn from an urchin shell in my childhood collection, which I then 3D scanned, enlarged, reprinted, and made a mould of.

I try not to pay too much attention to shifts in the industry, but there are a few I’m happy about. Ceramics are finding a place in everybody's home now, which hasn't always been the case, and it's a way for people to have something crafted by an artisan in their space. I also love that sconces are being used more and more in design and architecture, because it means a sculptural piece can sit on your wall and serve a function at the same time - it feels alive, it demands attention rather than being put away. You interact with it every day, and get to enjoy it every day.

At the moment, I'm really interested in exploring new materials within my practice, particularly using my kiln to slump sheet glass. I love the way glass melts and moves at high temperature - almost like toffee, or sticky like a lolly. Much like porcelain, I love its translucency, but I also love the colours you can work with in glass. I suppose exploring this new material is my next phase, and I'd like to go further into wall art pieces too.