"I recall one particular occasion when a group of Zulu women came in to teach us the traditional method of coiling clay — that was when I truly found my vocabulary."
Astrid Dahl found her love for clay at the Technikon Natal in 1995, graduating with a degree in Fine Art in 1999. She currently lives on a smallholding in Nottingham Road, KwaZulu Natal with her husband, her children, several dogs and cats, chickens, pigeons and fish. Her appreciation of her natural environment – rolling green hills, big blue skies, gorgeous sunrises, and all that comes with country life – reveals itself in the beautiful forms she creates.
Dahl's sculptures vary in complexity depending on the form she is looking to capture. From highly complex, anatomical pieces through to pieces which capture a motion or a concept. From symmetrical to bilateral symmetrical, each comes to life as she engages with the clay. Although the sculptures are heavy, her intention is to create pieces that have a feeling of lightness and fragility.
Hand-building vessels using the coiling method, is a slow, meditative process. Without the aid of a wheel, one relies solely on one’s hands: intimately shaping the clay, sculpting it, and working against gravity to achieve balance. Dahl sees the process of coiling from the base up as an exciting challenge, where she has to work with (or against) balance, tension, and gravity — all of which magnify the incredible beauty and potential of the form.
