As a child, I used to dream of flying. Now I only have to encase myself in metal at the local airport to have this modern dream come true. I was a passenger aboard my first flight at the age of 8, on my way from Poland to Australia. Since then, this technologically aided life journey has taken me to many corners of the globe, including a new home in Scotland, and the airplane has become a symbol for the anticipation of seeing my extended family again. Often taken for granted, airplanes serve as a vital link of communication between families and friends who have become dispersed throughout the world. Air travel has changed the shape of our society. Through my work I celebrate the experience and explore the multi-layered associations of technological flight.

Like a feather suddenly detached from some migrating bird, a 396 tonne 747 sweeps into the sky, cradling life within its technological womb. It is almost inconceivable that an object somewhat akin to a multi-story building in size and weight can become so gracefully airborne.

As the ground drops away, I feel vulnerable and almost weightless. A feeling of anticipation builds. Five hundred humans are swept above the clouds. Harsh, naked sunlight streams in through the window beside me. I watch ice crystals forming on the other side of the scolding hot glass. It is all that separates me from the frosty sky outside.

The window frames my view of the world below, partially obscured by that miracle of engineering, the airfoil. Its rivets, slats and flaps are arranged into sharp, geometric, precise lines. They reflect the different hews and colours of the sun, sky, ocean and landscape, gleaming with clean cut precision. Invisible, silent wind currents rush past the airfoil as we gain velocity. Calmness surrounds me, peaceful and still, afloat on an ocean of clouds.

Hard, cold and smooth, the polished surface of high fired Southern Ice porcelain speaks of the sharp edge and curved surface of the airplane wing. I am interested in the simplicity, thinness and clean line achieved by this medium. It enables me to attain, without the application of glaze, a non-porous, aesthetically appealing surface finish with a smooth, velvety feel.

This body of work conveys the feeling of floating inside the belly of technology. Inspiration for the linear decoration comes from having the world framed and packaged by this technology, as the window frames and packages the world below for me and as I am packaged in my seat for the duration of the journey. Teetering on the edge of functionality, the open vessel forms on modular supports seek to express the delicate balance between technological miracle and disaster. A feeling of tantalising danger bordering on fantasy.

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