“WHAT WE CARRY”

Liisa Salonen and Elizabeth Salonen, mother and daughter collaborators, enjoy a moment about their process.

“WHAT WE CARRY”

Liisa Salonen and Elizabeth Salonen, mother and daughter collaborators, merge the seductive qualities of clay with industrial mold-making techniques in the collection What We Carry.

The collaboration traces back to the 1940s, when Liisa’s mother studied under Mary Chase Perry (Stratton) at Pewabic in Detroit’s east side. In 2023, the two decided to return to their legacy, bringing the story full circle.

Blending industrial processes with hand building, the molds for the mannequin heads in What We Carry were first made at Pewabic. They were then layered with strips of clay through an intense, hand process that intentionally preserves the seams and surface markings of the molds. Each head remains unglazed, revealing the raw character of the clay and the traces of its making.

“What We Carry” merges the seductive qualities of hand-building clay with industrial mold-making techniques.

Installation view of “What We Carry.” Mannequin heads, typically used for displaying objects relating to personal adornment, support a variety of orbs in the act of carrying.
Elizabeth cradles an unglazed white porcelain mannequin. These archetypal mannequins expose their life experience in the beauty of scars, in the unglazed body of the clay and in the seams of production.

These archetypal mannequins expose their life experience in the beauty of scars, in the unglazed body of the clay and in the seams of production. Mannequin heads, typically used for displaying objects relating to personal adornment, support a variety of orbs in the act of carrying. In contrast to the unglazed, naked head, the carried and un-carried orb-vessels are hand-polished, sensuous terra sigilatta, fiber or hand-blown glass.

In contrast to the unglazed naked head, the carried and un-carried orb-vessels are hand-polished and waxed terra sigilatta, fiber or hand-blown glass.
"What We Carry" lamp sculpture with hand-blown glass orb – merging art and product design.

Suggesting what we carry, and what carries us, the orbs evoke interiority: identity, memories, perceptions.

“In creating multiples, this collection allows us to explore modularity without declaring an end point. There’s no final version, no fixed narrative—only possibilities. It resists closure and embraces change, allowing works to remain alive, open, and responsive,” says Salonen.

Hand-building at the Pewabic studio in Detroit.
Exploring various clay bodies: black stoneware head with black iron oxide terra sigillata orb.

These archetypal mannequins expose their life experience in the beauty of scars, in the unglazed body of the clay and in the seams of production