Cactus Trinket Boxes & Sculptures

Cactus Trinket Boxes & Sculptures

Following the Year 5 excursion to Sovereign Hill and in connection to the investigation of the Gold Rush in Australia in the 1800’s, the task linked with the classroom programme of inquiry, ‘Where we are in place and time’. During this boom period, much gold was found in the earth. In a type of role-reversal the students fashioned a trinket box from earth (clay) with which to hold gold in the form of trinkets.

Techniques of construction involved manipulating the clay into the desired form. Leaves or ‘ears’ of cactus were added using the slip and score technique followed by gouging out of the interior cavity using specialised tools. Incised lines and imprints made with found objects and tools created the lines and patterns on the exterior.

Various coloured glazes were applied in order to create effects, such as blending with different greens or overlapping glazes, resulting in some impressive and striking 3D forms that the students will treasure for a very long time.
Year 5
Toorak College, Toorak