Michelle Shields is a ceramicist whose practice explores the intersection of materiality, machines and the possibilities that emerge when digital and traditional making converge. Driven by curiosity and experimentation, she combines hand-building, throwing, 3D printing and robotic processes with traditional ceramic techniques, continually testing materials through making and remaking.
A graduate of the Royal College of Art, London, Michelle has exhibited internationally, including at the European Ceramic Context in Bornholm, Denmark, and her work is held in public and private collections. During a residency at The Burton Art Gallery and Museum in Bideford, she explored the dialogue between digital processes and traditional ceramics through the museum’s collection of Harvest Jugs.
Alongside her digital practice, Michelle is developing a wood-fired rocket kiln to explore terracotta slipware with sustainable approaches to firing. Her work embraces technology as a way to extend the possibilities of clay, connecting innovation, craft and our relationship with the natural world.