Octopus Vase

Part sculpture, part vessel, this piece wraps a set of coiling arms around a tapering body so the whole silhouette reads as a cephalopod caught mid-drift. The limbs give the outside a rhythm you notice from across a room, undulating rather than sitting flat the way a plain turned profile would. It belongs in a coastal or maritime-leaning room, on a bookshelf beside nautical odds and ends, or on a hall table where a sculptural object has to earn its place. Dried grasses, pampas or bare twigs play well against the organic curves, and left empty it still stands on its own as an ornament. Aquarium keepers, divers, marine-biology enthusiasts and anyone drawn to the strange elegance of deep-sea life will find it a good deal more interesting than the usual geometric vase.