Crafts Council Hothouse4 Buddy

A year on from The Crafts Council's Hothouse3 and I have been asked to buddy Louisa Finch a glass artist on this year's programme in the Midland Cohort. Take a look at her website www.louisafinch.co.uk
We have ten hours contact time together and plan to meet in May to visit Collect together. 

Sensing Spaces at the Royal Academy


Sensing Spaces: Architecture Re-imagined at the Royal Academy http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/events/has been open a few weeks now and I've been chomping at the bit to get there. Finally an exhibition based around Spaces and architectural practice with a focus upon the human senses and experience. This is a subject that has been a passion if not a slight obsession for a long while now. I felt this was a real departure from other architecture shows giving the viewer the opportunity to fully engage with these structures with a clear insight into elements of the design process and thinking. In much the same way as 1:1 at the Victoria and Albert Museum architecture for small spaces did in 2010  

 Pezo von Ellrichshausen

 This modestly built wooden construction leads you up into the heavens of the Royal Academy via a spiral stairway built into the cylindrical supporting structures. 
Or you are able to go up or down through a ramp walkway to the side. As the walls at the top are quite high there are small viewing holes enabling you to look out beyond the gallery space.


Kengo Kuma
Two darkened rooms are allocated to house Kengo Kuma's bamboo installations. These fragile looking structures subtly lit from the floor creates an immersive space on initially encountering can make you feel a little off balance. 
There is a strong scent of Japanese Cyprus and Tatami which heightens the reaction when encountering the space. Scent is often linked to a particular memory 
Personally I was impressed by the way a spatial piece of work had been created and constructed using such fine materials hi-lighting weightlessness yet it still had a real presence as an architectural form. 



Li Xiaodong
This Maze like structure leads you in the this darkened encased environment. You have several different routes to choose from as you head further into the space. On your journey there are several resting spots for you to be able to sit or simply observe passers by.
Eventually you reach the central point and find yourself in the middle of a zen garden. The space appears to be much larger than it is initially as one of the walls houses mirrored glass creating the illusion of expansive space.




Grafton Architects 
The last two rooms had to be my favorite as you enter these spaces I immediately thought of Rothko's Chapel in Texas or Alvar Aalto Church of the Three Crosses 1955-1958.
 These spaces had an overwhelming feeling of weight, concrete, and density that hung in the air above you. When you entered the space it wasn't apparent how intense these pieces were particularly the darkened room as the lighting changed slowly over time creating it's own environment drawing you in to explore the space from every possible angle. 



The film that you were invited to watch before leaving the exhibition was a fascinating insight in to each architects practice having been selected and invited to participate and design work specifically for the Royal Academy's space.

  I also felt this exhibition was really approachable and inclusive, It had been curated in a thoughtful manner each piece of work had plenty of space to exist in. As the title of the exhibition explains it taps into the human emotion, the memory, the subconscious it's a show that everyone can enjoy and take something away. It's certainly not a show exclusively for architects and creative practitioners. It is however, an excellent opportunity to introduce children to large work spatial work as they can really experience and interact with each piece in different ways, which is often rare within a art gallery, Having said that it's also for anyone who is simply interested in exploring, experiencing or feeding an inquiring mind.

Sensing Spaces also brings very complicated ideas around the subject of Phenomenology to the forefront. Whether you are familiar with the ideas or not. 
We interact with building structures and spaces on a daily basis. They all have an impact on the way we feel and the way we move through them or use them and we sometimes don't even realise.
 This exhibition really hi-lighted this important element within architecture and may make some of us more aware of our surroundings in the future. 

Tate Britain's new staircase and gallery space

I popped into Tate Britain for my final meeting with Frances Lord my Hothouse mentor and although I was aware this work had been taking place I was mesmerised to stumble across the new central staircase, leading down into several new gallery rooms the Cafe and education rooms. Designed by Caruso St John this renovation has created a real visual impact as you approach this central space. 

Take a look at this link to see more  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24987799







Downstairs takes you to the Cafe and restaurant as well as an archive room and gallery spaces which were previously closed to the public. There is an allocated education room. 
The entire space has a similar feel to a crypt but is light and airy linked with a series of curved arches leading you in and around the space. 




Bergen and the British Ceramics Biennial:Topographies of the Obsolete. Vociferous Void



Several weeks ago I spent two days in Stoke at the Ceramics Conference hosted by the British Ceramics Biennial 2013. 

 During my first visit I had quickly popped into Bergen's Topographies of the Obsolete a collaboration between the British Ceramics Biennial and Bergen Academy of Art and Design and quickly realised this was something I needed to spend more time with.

  This artistic research project initiated by Neil Brownsword and Anne Helen Mydland partnered with several universities across Germany, Denmark and the UK. This had been a year's work exploring the site specific and associated histories of post industry.

 Installations had been positioned across the Spode site in rooms, offices, work areas which opened to the public for the first time. 

 What I really enjoyed about this entire showcase was each project was entirely rooted within Spode, the site was a solid hinge for every individual response and clay was something that became secondary. 

 In some of the responses clay was used because it was integral for the final outcome in many cases clay wasn't used at all the appropriation of materials and objects were used such as the moulds and the re-contexulisation of existing objects taken from the site such as Neil Brownsword's Vis Unita Fortior (United strength is stronger)

 Toril Redalen work based around dust Andrew Browns sound works the diversity was really inspiring to see and experience how considered and sensitivity handled each response was to the site. 
There was a distinct feeling every artist involved in this work really had an ingrained knowledge and understanding that can only come from really immersing yourself in to the space and environment you are working with. 

 Here are a few examples. 
This body of work is also accompanied by two excellent texts 
Topographies of the Obsolete : Critical Texts 
Topographies of the Obsolete : Vociferous Void

 Both well worth a read for anyone interested or working within contemporary art practises.

 During the conference we had the opportunity to accompany Andrew Brown around the site to participate in his sound piece (A Walk Through S) 
Approx 25 visitors were hooked up to individual iPods and followed Andrew in and around Spode whilst being taken on a physical, visual and experiential journey through sound and conversation. The interesting element here was the sound work had synchronised with many of the temporary installations and site responses making the experience multi layered for the viewer. 


Numi Thorvarsson

 This installation was positioned upstairs in the old offices spaces. Camera Obscura were made utilising the old Spode moulds positioning them to capture the iconic Spode chimney a landmark instantly recognisable within the landscape. 



Erna Skuladottir The Desert 

The Desert instantly resonated with me. Large surface areas covered in clay carpeting the space in which it sits. I'm always drawn to materiality when dealt with on scale.

 It was a response to abandonment likening this space to an empty barren desert. Marks cracks crevices are everywhere within Spode each has it's own story and insight in to the processes and production that had taken place here within the past 250 years. 






Oyvind Suul




Tone Saastad






Lena Kaapke

This piece of work started with a walking exploration around Stoke itself. 
Collecting place,space and identity. 
What really captured me about this was the presentation at first each object appears to be have been quite randomly positioned. 
However, it becomes clear that it has been curated according to the location each piece had been collected creating a clear narrative from the original walking route. 



Hothouse3 explorers responses to Spode British Ceramics Biennial 2013



In my last post I talked about my own installation for the British Ceramics Biennial. Here I want to focus on the final outcomes from the entire Hothouse 3 group. 

 Six months ago we made our first visit to the old Spode site in Stoke to begin our Explore residency. 
It's hard to believe that we have finally reached the end of what has been quite a long and in parts intense journey. 

 The brief was a six month research residency in and around Spode. As a group of nine our individual approaches and working methods are so varied, it was in our own direct responses to Spode that ultimately tied us all together. 

 We started with a idea of mapping each response throughout the site where one piece of work fed into the next piece.

 During several meetings together it became apparent that this wasn't going to work and so we ended up showing in the same room. 
Here's the room as we first encountered it back in May. Then it was somewhat difficult to visualise how this would look several months on. 


With hindsight I personally think this works well, and seeing all the work together for the first time Friday afternoon just before the preview evening really cemented this. 
We are in the room nestled off the main china hall. There is no electricity running directly in to this space so the we have spot lights and table top lights. Making it an intriguing and atmosheperic space as the light begins to fall during the afternoon into the evening. 

 Phoebe Cummings installation sits in the centre of the room enshrouded by an element of mystery with large sheets of plastic covering the entire piece creating it's own micro climate inside. As you step into this space you enter a magical landscape which has been taken from one of Spode's plate design's ' The Death of the Bear '

Installing during September.


 Stephen Dixon's Archeological dig sits to the right hand side of the room. 


The Hothouse group (emerging line) www.emergingline.co.uk
Jane and Fay's statements can be found on the website..........


Miche Follano Clocking Off 
As a Flâneuse, a winding stroll among the ‘off track’ spaces in the seductive Spode site has informed a psychogeographical response in the creation of a site specific installation.  Discarded remnants were gathered, specifically, objects that were once useful among its workers; by savouring their history and soaking up their provenance, they have been reinvented by inclusion into 367 unique vessels representing the individuals that existed here at its closure in 2008.  The ephemera are honoured in clay, providing a capsule look at the production line that existed in order to create and maintain a unique brand, a celebration of the skilled workforce that once existed on this site.



Jane Cairns 



Naomi Robinson :  Left Behind 


Over 100 tiny vessels echoing the memories of Spode. The vessels invite you to explore them, uncovering the stories of former workers and the memories of Spode.
Whilst exploring the site, the beauty of the interior of the building drew me in. Certain aspects of the building really grabbed my attention; splashes of colour throughout the site and the range of textures within the historic walls, including cracks and peeling paint.
This installation combines the old and the new, with the use of materials found around the site and the imitation of decayed areas of the building alongside modern processes and my own response to the site. The installation shows all that has been left behind; the legacy of the Spode site, the memories and the emotional responses that relate to the site and its history. 

Fay Jenkinson 


Jill Shaddock

Inspired by order, reoccurrence, systems and process, ‘Trace’ explores the relationship between worker, factory and repetition.

Paths painted on the floors throughout the Spode factory indicate a route throughout the site, which each piece made at the factory would have journeyed through. Worn markings back to the colours below leave a trace of the many that have been there before.
Graduated coloured slipcast vessels sit within this space and comment on a balance between creativity and production.
Coding on each vessel is a visual insight into the making of each piece. A reference to the many items of systematic and informative documents used at Spode and unearthed during the Explore Residency.

Grant Aston Factory: Life investigation 3 
Being part of the residency is a personal journey . I am from the Stoke, my family and I have worked within the pottery industry.


The people of Stoke on Trent feel proud of the achievements of the city, it is part of our identity.


The industrial revolution shaped Stoke into its present form. A linear city built along canals which supported the factories, mines and steelworks.


I am fascinated by how people lived in the city during its industrial peak. The environment was shaped by the practical necessities of industry. It captivates me to imagine people living within the mechanism, sometimes harmonising with it and sometimes in discordance.

This piece explores these themes of identity and industry, by using architecture and colour from Spodes blue Italian ware and interacting with the fabric of the building.

I want the spirit of the piece to reflect how the city is using the industrial heritage of the past as an identity with which to forward into the future.


Keith Varney: Hovel 

 Bottle kilns, once an important and dominant feature of the Spode site and the potteries, have almost entirely disappeared. But for me they still form a lasting impression of the architecture of the area. Originally there were 22 of these imposing structures at Spode.

Air pollution and their inefficient nature, little of the fuel actually heated the ware, led to their replacement with modern kilns. The last of Spode’s bottle kilns was demolished in 1960, leaving only the base intact as the last physical remains on the site.
The strong, bold form of these kilns together with Spode’s history of innovation in both material and process are the inspiration for my response to the factory. The sculptural pieces are the outcome of my exploration of form, line and process and are created in bone china, a clay body developed by Spode, for its pure white colour and translucency.

Anne Laycock
Over 75,000 Spode patterns have been recorded since Josiah Spode established the factory in 1770. Launched in 1816 using the perfected process of under glaze printing the irrepressible and still in production today Blue Italian and Blue Willow played an active role in securing Spode’s reputation as a leading manufacturer.
My practice is a process by which multiple elements are fed into each other to construct sculptural, rhythmic and architectural forms. Using this technique and by a process of considered selection I have referenced features from the transfer designs, to create new multiple elements to build with to capture this bold robust will to exist.



Kim Norton : Repetition over Time 
What struck me when I walked through the doors of the empty Spode site, particularly when I encountered the China Hall, was that this had once been a busy, noisy, environment that worked to its own rhythm - the repetition of production and processes that took place here for almost 250 years had been transformed into this quiet expanse.

Repetition over Time is an ephemeral response to the quiet that currently exists throughout the site.

This period of research has been an exploration into building an all encompassing, spatial experience through scale and materiality reflecting one moment in time.
 The continuous feed of water into the clay will gradually soften and begin to change the form, undergoing a metamorphosis and a echo of the buildings identity.




The show opened on Friday evening and runs until November 10th 2013
I highly recommend a visit there is so much to see and it's not often such a diversity of work, and working processes are shown together. 

 It's truly inspiring for anyone with an interest in ceramics and gives a clear message of how ceramics is being pushed outside of our often preconceived idea around it's functionality and how artists, designers, makers, craftspeople are using this incredible material. 
There's something here for everyone to enjoy whether it be tableware, performance, sculpture, installation. collaboration, education, industry, film I could go on but it's better to see it for yourself. 
A big thank you to everyone at www.britishceramicsbiennial.com and at www.potclays.co.uk
for supplying my Clay.



Installing work for the British Ceramics Biennial 2013




During the past six months I've been working on the Explore residency with my fellow Hothouse group for the British Ceramics biennial 2013.

After many weeks days and hours of figuring out how this particular installation is going to work and or indeed whether I'm going to be able to pull this off, finally it is in place ready for the grand opening next week.

It took me a week in total over several weeks to set up and here's my journey throughout this time.

Repetition over Time 2013
Day 1 Week 1 

 I began cleaning the space out which was full of old electric cables and wires.
 Once that was complete I started to install the water system which will be slowly dripping on to the clay throughout the show. 
What struck me when I walked through the doors of the empty Spode site, particularly when I encountered the China Hall, was that this had once been a busy, noisy, environment that worked to its own rhythm - the repetition of production and processes that took place here for almost 250 years had been transformed into this quiet expanse.
Repetition over Time is an ephemeral response to the quiet that currently exists throughout the site.
This period of research has been an exploration into building an all encompassing, spatial experience through scale and materiality reflecting one moment in time.
 The continuous feed of water into the clay will gradually soften and begin to change the form, undergoing a metamorphosis and a echo of the buildings identity.




Day 2 

 The frame was assembled and lined to create a structure for the clay to sit in and avoid any water spilling out on to the floor if too much water accumulates over time. 
I'm expecting the volume of clay will absorb the water and there shouldn't be too much access water as it will be switched off over night giving the structure some time to settle.



Day 3 Week 2 

My second visit I had the kind help from my trusted friend and my collaborative partner Sasha we had two 1 ton bags of clay to move into position over two days without her help I would still be there slowly moving this from A-B. 

 The arrival of my clay.... 

 Potclays have kindly supplied the clay for this project and as I wanted to use local clay it had been agreed that the best clay for the job would be puddle clay. Normally used in large engineering projects such as road or canal lining it's perfect for the overall aesthetic with stones and grass growth it hasn't been refined and it was always my intention to build this particular work using clay in it's pure raw form, as I wanted this to be a reminder that clay comes from the ground and not from neatly packaged cubes many people are familiar with.











Day 4 

The second bag of clay was installed. At this point I had the chance to leave the water running for approx 4 hours which gave me a good indication what was happening to the surface.

 How much splash back I was getting from the impact of the water onto the clay's surface. Lighting became important at that point I felt it was necessary for this space to be dark and slightly claustrophobic. The incidental positioning of the mirror in the room also catches your attention as you walk into the space reflecting your own image back to you somehow making the experience more present. 
As you enter this narrow room you can feel the dampness from the clay hanging in the air.  
Sound was another element that was a main consideration and echoes the monotonous repetition of production that took place in this very building.
 The sound of the water making contact with the clay was something I had spent many months trying to figure out and of course the very nature of site specific work is that some of these elements will not be clear until you are on site working through these questions and others were slowly coming together nicely. 


Day 5 Week 3 

 My final visit was to set up the process wall. From the beginning of this research I knew it would be important to have the work in progress shown in some format but until I knew what kind of space I was dealing it was difficult to make some of these decisions.

 The Ink tests are an integral part of this research and I felt these have to be seen to inform some of the concept work. As this was the initial point of exploration. By introducing water into this piece of work Immediately started work with ink and water to try and gauge how liquid falls from varying heights and different sized funnel systems.

The process wall was something I wanted to be clean and clearly laid out creating a narrative between to two different spaces. The wall is positioned on the outside of the installation so depending on how you walk through the space you may encounter this space before the installation.

 There will also be a slide show documenting each phase from my initial visit on site back in April / May 2013 right up to the final stages of installation. 






Jerwood Makers Open and the Energy and Process room in Tate Modern.

A couple of weeks ago I had a day of art based exploration, firstly I had a meeting with Frances Lord my Hothouse3 Mentor. We met in the Jerwood Space for about an hour to discuss various strands of my own working practice. 
Whilst I was there it was the perfect opportunity to look around the Jerwood Makers Open 2013

 www.jerwoodvisualarts.org/jerwood-makers-open-2013-2

 Here are a few images of my personal favourites.
Nahoko Kojima's swimming Polar Bear it's difficult to really understand the scale and the fragility of this piece of work unless you experienced it first hand. The craftsmanship in this was incredible with a process that is so time consuming with a mind blowing end result. 



Adam Buick Ceramic and film 

Adam Buick

  After that I made my way over to have a quick look in Tate Modern as I haven't been in for a while and it's always worth a visit. 

 With the closure of the turbine hall the space felt so much smaller. The shop had moved up one floor and again had been relocated to a smaller space, but despite all of this going on I had a look around the galleries and on the forth floor I was in my element.

 This gallery is called Energy and Process the entire space is dedicated to Anti form, post minimalism and a brief art movement that took place at the latter end of the 1960's in Italy, called Arte Povera which translates in to Poor Art. 

Some how, and I have no idea how, this movement has passed me by. 
This fleeting movement was rooted in materiality and the physicality of the work using found or natural materials such as stone, rock, wood etc. Founded during a time of political unrest in Italy and a rejection of US abstract painting. It is challenging ideas of art and what art can be. the context of showing work of this nature within the confines of the gallery or crossing contexts in the same way Richard Long or Richard Serra still does today.

 There is a strong link to beginnings of Land art or an influence that has filtered into conceptual and installation art. 
This still feels relevant today and on a personal note when I encountered this room it really validated my own thinking and aesthetic qualities, work that can be transient or ephemeral and the value of working in such a way that it almost makes it impossible to attach a commercial price tag to. 


Giovanni Anselmo Direction 1967 - 8


Mario Merz Lingotto 1968


Gilberto Zorio Terracotta Circle 1969

Richard Serra 


Joseph Beuys This installation was downstairs in another gallery space. I wanted to include it as it seemed to feed into my thinking. 

BCB Installation preparation.

Next week I'm heading up to Stoke to begin my installation in Spode for the British Ceramics Biennial. 
I'm guessing this will take me a couple of visits over several days. The first visit will be preparing the space and installing water, the clay is due to arrive on site the week commencing the 9th September so that's when the exciting part of the project begins to take shape. 
I will be posting images up as I go along so keep an eye out for work in progress. 

British Ceramics Biennial update

It's been a while since my last post, 
Here's an update on the research residency at the British Ceramics Biennial. 

 I seem to have been writing a lot and have started to refine my thinking around this project.
Last week the Hothouse group visited Spode for another meeting. What came out of this visit was we finally decided on locations and positioning, and started to gather a little more information regarding the run up to the show. 

 With tape measures at the ready we all got to work mapping out the space we have to work with and any other requirements needed to realise each outcome. The great news is we have 24hr access during installation which is a huge help particularly if like myself I know I'm going to have to be there for a while.  


This is the space I'm going to transform I originally wanted a dark area but I also thought it would be important to contain the work from the main exhibition space as it needs to viewed and experienced in isolation.







I've been doing some exploratory work around possible forms. 
Whilst I was on site l also collected some old kiln props and small pieces of kiln furniture to begin making my own funnel structures for water to filter through, so I currently have two funnel options to choose from. 

 We have until the end of September to have everything finished and installed, considering I'm building on site I'm looking to begin work early September which should give me plenty of time to iron out any technical issues that could arise. 

The Red House


A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to take a visit to William Morris's Red House. Having been to Kelmscot Manor several years ago I was intrigued to see this iconic house nestled in the middle of Kent's suburban landscape. 

The Red House in Bexley is William Morris's first house Commissioned by Morris and designed by Philip Webb in 1859. The furniture and other household artefacts were also designed by both some of which are on display inside the house. 

For the past 10years The National Trust has owned it and are working hard to restore it back to it's original vision. 

The garden is going to be slowly changed back to it's Arts and Crafts style as it was originally divided into outside rooms a traditional layout for gardens during this time.  Sissinghurst and Hidcot Manor are prime examples of this particular style.

 There is currently work taking place upstairs as some wall paintings have recently been discovered behind the paintwork. Revealing more of an insight into how these rooms would have been used during this period and Morris's time at the Red House. 





The red brickwork is outstanding and this continues inside throughout the large impressive fireplaces. Made with Rubber Red bricks these low fired bricks were sanded into beautiful soft rounded forms creating a focal point within the rooms. 





The stained glass was designed by and Burne - Jones 




Paintings recently discovered in the rooms upstairs. It has been understood that these rooms were used for studio spaces. Where ideas and designs were developed by painting directly on the surface of the walls. 

This work is in full flow so it's possible to watch this painstaking process taking place during the visit and every member of staff is very excited to talk about the work and the findings that are being uncovered on a daily basis.




Visit to Brownhills Clay pit in the West Midlands

Two days ago I was fortunate to be able to visit the Brownhills clay pit near Cannock which is owned by Potclays and the material and equipment sponsor for the British Ceramics Biennial 2013 

 This visit was tied into my involvement with the British Ceramics Biennial in September. Phoebe Cummings and myself had a tour of the site. A landscape I find utterly intriguing for many reasons but predominately for it's scale, and to experience clay in it's raw state before any processing has taken place. 






Here are some close up images of the clay, because of the hot weather the entire site was bone dry so it has brought all the additional material matter to the surface. I'm looking to extract the clay I need straight from it's source and that's the very point I'm investigating right now. 



3rd Research Visit to Spode for BCB 2013.

In the next few weeks I have a couple more trips organised to Stoke and Spode.
last week Keith Varney and myself went back to Spode to take a closer look at the mould stores and I needed to begin looking at the water supply within or in and around the China Hall.  


I'm reaching the stage with this project that  I feel as though I need to immerse myself into the space to begin to gain a deeper understanding not only of the site but also my own conceptual thinking. The way I tend to work is often balanced between process work, the site and quiet thinking time, before I begin to feel I'm in full command of the work. 

 Next week i'm visiting Potclay's clay pit with Phoebe Cummings so I'm really looking forward to that and having the opportunity to photograph this huge space. It's been several years since I last visited a clay pity and it always astonishes me how powerful these spaces are the scale is mind-blowing. It also hi-lights the power that clay resonates in it's raw form. The weight the density and presence it has over a large area. 

Some of these ideas are also present in the work I'm developing for the British Ceramics Biennial so I think this trip will begin to solidify some of my thinking. www.britishceramicsbiennial.com


Resonance Susie MacMurray at Fabrica

Today I had the chance to take a visit to East Sussex and whilst I was in the area I paid a visit to Fabrica in Brighton.

 Fabrica is an exhibition space and visual arts organisation in the centre of Brighton housed within a Regency Church on Duke Street. www.fabrica.org.uk

 It's a space I'm wanting to exhibit in myself one day and today's visit made me even more determined. The interior is simple but stunning with dark wood pillars throughout and the quality of light is wonderful. 

 The current exhibition is an installation called Resonance by Susie MacMurray and this piece of work certainly commanded the space it's in. www.susie-macmurray.co.uk

 What I love about this work is the scale and that it's light in weight. Each section is a cone made from musical manuscripts. There's an interesting film where Susie MacMurray talks eloquently about her work and the thought processes involved, she explains that she was interested in the music that would have been played or sung here over a long period of time and the ephemeral nature of sound and music. This is particularly interesting as Susie was a classical musician herself before she became a visual artist. Resonance felt informed and considered not only around the space but possibly because there is a strong affinity with the subject. 

 The exhibition is on until the 26th August with various events accompanying the exhibition throughout July and August. It's certainly worth a visit.






First Tests for Spode Explore Residency (with Hothouse3 ceramicists)


This week the second proposal was sent off to the BCB outlining our individual ideas and requirements for the Hothouse explore residency opening in September. I don't want to give too much away at this early stage of development but thought i'd post a few of my work in progress images up. 

I've begun testing some ideas out with ink and smaller scale ceramic trials to get a sense of how my concept will work and the qualities I'm wanting to achieve within the larger final pieces. 

The ink tests are giving me an idea of marks that can be created when liquid is dropping on to a surface from varying heights. 



I found these old funnels which were originally used to distill cider or beer one of them goes back to the Georgian period. 
 I have been using these to experiment with the idea of a constant or intermittent dripping motion and have been hanging them at different levels to see what impact that has on the surface below, in this case I have introduced clay... 







I'm also interested in the expansive quality clay has in large quantities so wanted to see how or if it changes when mirrors are introduced. 
Playing with the idea of scale and creating an illusion, opening the material out into the space or creating a a physical image of repetition from all angles.  






I have another site visit to Spode in a few weeks time to begin to work out exact positioning and some technical details that will need consideration before work can commence any further. 

Serpentine Pavilion Sou Fujimoto 2013

The 2013 Serpentine Pavilion has been open just over a week... I always look forward to this time of the year when the space outside the gallery is transformed for the summer. This year's pavilion has been designed by the Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto.

 Sou Fujimoto's design is an interesting space that can morph into the landscape it sits. From certain angles it appears to be floating in space, transparent or partially visible. On closer inspection the white steel poles are highly structured and strong.



Compared to the last couple of years where Zumthor and Weiwei created quite dark immersive pavilions 2013 shows a departure from the darkness and cavernous qualities evident within the previous couple of spaces. I think I was lucky to have experienced a blue sky the day I visited as one of the best moments was looking straight up towards the skyline through the carefully constructed composition of grids. 


 As well as the open space in the centre of the pavilion where tables and chairs are available to sit and have a drink, there are glass panelled sections elevated at different heights throughout the space where you can sit and take in the atmosphere, people watch or simply rest for a moment. 




Inside the space I would say that there is more formality compared to Ai Weiwei's pavilion last year. My over - riding memory was that there were lots of children interacting with the space and there being an openness to navigate through and around with great ease, the cork interior was soft and forgiving.

 This pavilion feels as though it's a space that's more suited to adults.... although it has an ethereal quality to the aesthetic upon interaction it's solid strong and highly structured. The surfaces are hard the steps leading to higher levels are steep because it follows a strict cube format. There is an essence of a complex scaffolding system when you look up into core sections but the whiteness instantly pulls us back into a designed architectural experience.





 I really enjoyed this space it felt fresh and liberating I liked the juxtapositions within the design. 
Soft and airy vs strong and structured. Being open and closed, inside, outside 
the air flow and light it would be interesting to re visit to see how the atmosphere may change in different weather conditions or during the evening in fading light. 



Work boards for Spode residency

After the site visit to Spode I decided to compile some photographic boards by dividing the images into 4 key themes. These four areas of interest became apparent as I began to pull the photographs together.

 Light and shadow 
Exterior details and brick 
Decay and disintegration inside the factory
Interior details 

Board 1 Light and shadow 



Board 2 Exterior details and brick 


Board 3 decay and disintegration 

Board 4 interior details