This series of hand-built vessel honors the force of nature and our collective experience of living through catastrophic weather events, specifically Hurricane Helene which devastated areas of North Carolina at the end of September/early October 2024. Responding to the devastation of the hurricane, Kala uses satellite data of the storm to draw abstracted surface designs directly derived from images of Hurricane Helene. To this end, she addresses the suffering and loss of the victims of the flood in hopes that these pieces can act as vessels for fossilizing the ephemeral, and make space for holding and healing.

Satellite images of Hurricane Helene were used to map out the surface decoration on this series. The image was from Sept. 26, 2024, acquired by the GOES-16 satellite. (Credit: (CSU/CIRA & NOAA)

Fired in a gas kiln two times, the top temperature is cone 5/2200°F.

Materials: Reclaimed stoneware, glaze, porcelain slip.

Variable.