Ceramics Portfolio :: The Daughters of Albion

The Daughters of Albion

"My name is Albion, the oldest sister of you all and was the first that entered this land, therefore it shall be called Albion's land after my own name." "The Daughters of Albion," has become a major portion of my work and is inspired by a particular historical work. The Great Book of Thomas Trevelian, 1616, provided this source of inspiration. Albion was the name given to the British Isles from an account of the 5th century BC in which the islanders were referred to as the Albiones. The illustrations in this stunningly beautiful work depicted many Elizabethan figures - Daughters of Albion - gathered together on England's green hills together with symbolic animals such as the lamb, the deer and the unicorn. Through this concept I have used Elizabethan dress with its radiating and concentric forms around the body as an allegory to emphasise humanity in our relationship with nature and the landscape.