Edith Morris

“Story has always helped us make sense of the unexplainable. It’s a tool to navigate uncertain or hard times. Maybe story can remind us how to live with the unknown, while also holding space for wonder and hope.”

Folklore and craft

Edith’s subjects often come from folklore, legends and popular traditions. Local craft and passed-down processes have always been a big source of inspiration for her.

“I love handmade objects that sit somewhere between craft, utility, ritual and decoration.”

It is also how she started working with clay – by way of the moulds people once used to press patterns into biscuits.

“A couple of years ago, I was very inspired by traditional gingerbread and biscuit moulds. I tried recreating them in wood, latex and silicon before I realised I needed to try clay. I’ve not looked back since.”

From costume to ceramics

Her films stem from the same interest in folkloric tales. “Trolsk”, shot on 16mm in Norway, explores three characters from local folklore through costume and in-camera trickery. In order to make it, someone had to brave sub-zero sea temperatures.

The ceramics grew out of that work rather than alongside it.

“When I design a costume, for instance, I draw the figure and use its clothing and gestures to tell the story. The ceramics grew naturally out of this – the folkloric characters translated well into low-relief designs.”

Ceramic moulds

One of Edith’s favourite pieces is the Tiddy Mun, a bog spirit from the Lincolnshire Fens believed to control the waters and mists of the marshland. It is a reject tile which didn’t make it into production. Edith dropped the tile and broke a corner off it, and later dropped the mould too, so he can never be pressed again.

“He is the only survivor and feels special from the rest.”

While she works across different materials, clay is the one that keeps giving her more to try.

“The possibilities of working with clay feel endless. There are so many ways to shape, fire, glaze and colour it. It sometimes feels overwhelming, I’m trying to learn slowly and methodically as I go.”

In Salemi, Edith takes on a new scale, creating her first site-specific, multi-tile storytelling mural exploring the life and history of the town. Her starting point is the ritual bread of San Giuseppe, sculpted loaves built into whole altars for the saint’s feast, and the symbolism it carries.

In the studio, the mural begins small: clay sketches of plates, bowls of fruit, raised glasses and a figure at the table, testing how a feast translates into low relief.

Feasting is increasingly becoming her focus, especially since having dinner at Nanna Vita’s.