Break out the fine china

Digital print on Felix Enhanced Matte, 300 × 300 mm "Break out the fine china" is a playful self-portrait inspired by the iconic Michael Graves kettle for Alessi. In the illustration, I emerge from the kettle itself, popping my head out from within one of design's most recognisable domestic objects. The work explores the idea of "breaking out of the fine china"; both escaping the expectations and constraints that often accompany treasured objects, and embracing them fully at the same time. It reflects a fascination with the objects we collect, inherit, and assign meaning to, while celebrating the freedom to use, inhabit, and reinterpret them in unexpected ways. Balancing humour, autobiography, and a love of design history, "Break out the fine china" invites viewers to find joy in the overlap between the everyday and the extraordinary.