Made of unglazed, fired porcelain of subtly varying shades of cream and pale taupe, the “folds” have the delicate appearance of a wasp’s nest tubes. Though they appear joined, the pieces are carefully set in place and can be reconfigured endlessly. “Palm Prints,” which took about three days to assemble, is only the latest of many incarnations, Bardsley said.

After all that, isn’t she loath to take it apart? The answer is an emphatic no. “In fact, the hard part comes about three-quarters of the way through, when I am already envisioning the next piece and it’s hard to make myself finish this one,” she said.