Roxane Borujerdi’s work has lost none of its energy. It is still about movement, thought, a gesture that encounters reality in the form of an obstacle, a sheet of paper, modelling clay or a log. Like any collision, the result is chaotic, impulsive — but what does it matter? What matters is that frozen energy which endures in the forms.

The practice of ceramics, to which the artist has devoted herself for over a decade, has, however, shifted the balance. Spontaneity and chance are ever-present: this is readily apparent in the backward tilt of an emerald-green Nerite jug, or in the magnificent weaving of ceramic bands into a flat basket, or in the design of concentric waves incised into the surface of a blue vase. Yet the planning required for applying slip, the reduction of oxides within the kiln, the risk of breakage and the happy accidents have channelled the dynamism that animates the artist’s other works.

This change is particularly evident in the series of shells presented here. The shape is no longer hand-formed, as in the case of "Spirale" or "Coral", but is created using a mould. The various elements that make up the mould are assembled into a counter-mould into which the slip is poured; this is left to dry before being fired, with the excess removed beforehand. This moulding technique, which requires extensive planning, is therefore a far cry from the impulsiveness to which the artist had accustomed us. The glazing, understated and uniform, also departs from the pictorial effects seen in other works of his, where the brushstrokes, vivid and colourful, enliven the surfaces. However, despite all these constraints, the vitality persists: it has simply shifted from the realm of execution to that of the subject. Just like the library (1) that displays these objects, a shell is an organic form. And it is surely no coincidence that the shell of a mollusc, which grows layer by layer, can also be perceived as frozen energy. An oxymoron that permeates Roxane Borujerdi’s entire body of work.

(1) The Self-Containing Bookshelf designed by Aurélien Mole is a piece of furniture assembled without the use of any dowels. The uprights, each of which consists of two parts, are held together by a system of notches. When dismantled, they can be stored in the upper section of the bookcase, which in turn fits into the middle section, which itself fits into the lower section, following a nesting box principle. An organic concept underpins the design of this piece of furniture, as altering the size of one of the elements necessitates a corresponding adjustment to all its proportions.