Gorse

Gorse was one of the nine sacred trees in Ireland. It guarded thresholds, believed to hide entrances to the fairy otherworld. Its wood burned as hot as charcoal and was used to light the Bealtaine fires (the beginning of Summer). A plant of protection and purification, it was hung around homes to ward against misfortune, burned around livestock to protect fertility, and worn as a charm. Resilient and prickly, it always sought the sun.

The stories around Gorse inspired both the form and the function. These small creatures are containers, made to guard what you keep inside. Each one is formed from low-temperature earthenware and glazed, uniform as a group but no two alike. They are beings as much as objects, carrying the spirit of the plant they are named for: protective, watchful, guardians.