Katie Nelis

Physically and rhythmically working in the earth, in communion with others, Katie Nelis cultivates a shared experience that helps her process the embodiment of trauma. Her work is about listening to the unknown and connecting rhythms of hurting and healing in the land with those in the body. 

Casting a hole in the earth creates an impression that forms the bowl, somewhat like the impressions of place that form our sense of self throughout life. The bowl, made of clay from the earth, returns to the land representing the revisiting, re-experiencing and reclaiming of the body. The materiality of trauma in the body is reflected by the intense processes of digging and the physicality of working with clay. Once fully formed the bowl is given back to the earth, entrusted to the unpredictable nature of the pit firing. 

Memories written in the landscape can trigger a bodily reaction before the mind is cognitively aware of the unfolding situation. Katie suggests that healing begins by listening to the body, and the importance of memory and place cannot be ignored in this pursuit.