For Hollie Kent it all started with a pottery wheel she bought from a family friend for $50. “The first time I sat down at the wheel, I made myself 12 tiny balls of clay to experiment with and didn’t expect anything to come out of it,” the Authete Studio founder tells Broadsheet. “Everyone else is watching TV shows and I was watching an inappropriate amount of pottery content.”
Now, the Sydney-based creative dedicates her days to sculpting statement vessels (among other things) from a makeshift studio in her parents’ garage – a step up from the dining table, she says. Kent’s most recent range of vases sees chunky ceramic chains draped from smooth stoneware silhouettes.
“The chain hangs down lower than the size of the vessel so even if it was on a shelf, it would look really cool,” she says. “The proportions are off, but I feel like it’s in a pleasing way.”
Rather than using a slip-casting technique for her Chain vases, Kent works sans mould, crafting each piece freehand. It’s a slow but rewarding process of sculpting links, letting them dry, attaching the next and repeating.
Much of Authete’s work plays with simple forms that go big on character. In place of colour, textural detail and rich materiality stand out in pieces like the Pinch vase – elevated on an optional clay plinth. It’s made using a coiling process – where Kent rolls out snakes of clay before squashing them together – that accentuates the raw beauty of porcelain clay. There are also striped bowls and incense holders made by joining three different kinds of clay together, wavy paint palettes that could double as jewellery dishes or snack platters, sleek mugs plus a selection of hand-engraved glassware in the mix.
With a background in industrial design and a brief ceramics internship, Kent previously worked as a product designer for Aussie furniture and homewares label McMullin & Co before venturing off on her own earlier this year.
“It’s definitely been an exercise in boundaries because you lose them all when you’re working for yourself,” she says. “Your brain [and ideas] go so much faster than you’re able to do them when you work with your hands like this.”
In her words, Authete’s sculptural pieces are “experimental” while fulfilling a functional purpose. “They need to be able to serve you [without] you being scared of using them every day,” she explains. For Authete, that means quality production with a focus on crafting timeless pieces that will outlive their owner. “Clay has been around for thousands of years and I love how relevant it still is. The process hasn’t changed that much but we’re still always making new things with the same materials.”
It’s also endlessly recyclable, Kent notes. “You can just bury [clay] in your garden ... Clay is not bad for the planet and so I don’t feel guilty about loving it.”
Kent’s signature style is often inspired by old architectural relics and vintage fashion. “Sometimes it’s just patterns or forms that are really inspiring, like Greek ruins or ’50s Marimekko-style prints,” she says. Up next, Authete plans to expand its range to include ceramic mirror frames and statement jewellery boxes in line with the maker’s pared-back, minimalist aesthetic.
authete.com.au
@authete.studio
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