Though it might give you flashbacks to the days you sat around squishing clay through your Play-Doh extruder, Laurel Lukaszewski's new show at Project 4 is anything but childish. Titled Kuroi Shiroi (black/white), her installation is comprised of eighteen sculptures, most of which were assembled onsite with regard to the size and shape of the gallery, giving the exhibit a unique and spontaneous vibe. She uses black stoneware and white porcelain, and separates the sculptures by placing the black pieces on the second floor and the white on the first floor. The division of the two extremes provides a stark contrast that compliments the playfulness of these interwoven sculptures.

A jaw-dropping piece hanging by the door reaches nearly sixteen feet, far up into the open portion of the second floor. Made of white porcelain and steel wires, Shiroi (pictured) is assembled with individual strips that were twisted and curled before being kiln-fired. The pieces were then brought to the gallery where Lukaszewski spent around eight hours carefully interlocking them into this massive sculpture. Surprisingly, each curled strip is both sturdy – similar to a dinner plate – and lightweight. So while Shiroi looks painfully heavy, the nature of the pieces allows them to support much more weight than one would expect, with the help of Lukaszewski’s clever touch (and, yes, a good steel cable).

Through the almost harsh minimalist aesthetic, the artist’s soft invocation of nature’s elements is refreshing and gives energy to pieces that might otherwise be too weighty. Flow is made of curled black stoneware strips that, individually, look like soot-covered scraps you might find in a railroad yard, especially since they lay on the floor. Placed together in a wave-like motion, the pieces come to life like a strong current in a stream.

Lukaszewski’s other type of sculpture plays with this theme in a different way. Sitting together like crowded skyscrapers, each piece of square-shaped stoneware in various lengths is attached – unlike the “curls” in the other sculptures – to a base before it's kiln-fired. In the oven the pieces shrink and shift against each other, often creating large spaces that run like fault-lines down the middle. The topographical result that is partly intentional and partly left up to nature is both inspired and beautiful. Loss & Beauty is an exceptional version, containing a crevasse filled with fired aquamarine glass.

Though each piece in the exhibit is a variation of the “curly” sculptures and the topographs, the new twist in each one is compelling in its own way. Some, like the aptly named Mesmerized will boggle your mind as you try to imagine how Lukaszewski could have possibly assembled such a tight sculpture with hard, unyielding pieces of clay. Others, like Memory, which glides along a wall, will gently pull you along with its elegant curves.

Project 4 is located at 903 U Street, NW and open Wednesday to Friday, 2 to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 12 to 6 p.m. Kuroi Shiroi will run until July 22.