Ceramics and it's Dimensions PT.2 // Congress 2017
Factory ~ Neil Brownsword
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| Neil Brownsword at Potteries Museum and Art Gallery / Ceramics and it's Dimension Congress, Oct 2017
Neil Brownsword, Professor of Ceramics, a prolific native of Stoke-On-Trent opened the second keynote with an exploration of his artistic practice and research. Carrying on the conversation from Casali's discussion. Brownsword leapt straight into the industrial socio-economic background of North- Staffordshire that informs a volume of his practice.
Coming from Staffordshire and having the inherent knowledge of The Potteries' distinctive cultural heritage, it was fascinating to hear about a personal tradition that has carried him through his ventures.
As Casali mentioned prior, the changing economic and technological climate inevitably lead to a fall in demand of ceramics, low to mid cost production lines and international competition inevitably induced the downfall of the pottery industry in Stoke-On-Trent. It appears this industrial decline is a major part of Brownsword's body of work. References to a sensationalisation of industrial ruin and 'ruin porn' reinforced this notion. 'Ruin-porn' "... represents not only economic failure, but ideological failure, representing a break with modernized conceptions of cultural innocence and everyday enjoyment." [1] 'Ruin porn' indicates a suggested exploitation, a sensationalisation of the industrial ruin draws attention away from a thriving cultural industry that had become destroyed by the negative impact of the economy and instead celebrates its decline. This reference was relevant to his celebratory research focus on the skilled elements of the industry. His focus on the skill set of ceramics workers in the trade was an endearing celebration of a collection of workers who are masters in the field.
He illustrated a body of work that tackles the product uniformity and standardisation in factories that workers are trained to abide by. The piece below, an intricate painting of a dilapidated factory, reveres the artistry of ceramic painters. Presented in a format that lends itself to celebratory tableware (this is affirmed by the title 'National Treasure'). It also discusses his sentiment to the sensationalisation of the industrial ruin.
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| Neil Brownsword, National Treasure © Neil Brownsword |
Brownsword discussed a recent international project in Korea. here we returned to Casali's prior statement; "Moments of exchange long-lasting bridges between countries linked with a passion for the craft."
Korea shares a cultural heritage of ceramics production with Stoke-On-Trent. A depth of historical narrative that's deeply rooted in a collective haptic knowledge of working with pottery.
Research questions surrounding the post-industrial age, cultural values and the artist as archaeologist can be answered with Brownswords exploration of two cities' cultural heritage.
His project tackled intergenerational practice, the transferration of knowledge to new generations of ceramics workers. Brownsword's piece with a performance from Ceramics worker Rita Floyd allows audiences to access the internalised set of rules that master practitioners hold within.
Floyd continuously produced clay flowers, discarding them afterwards in a number of piles infront of her. This process can act as a metaphor for the skilled workers of the trade. Having been discarded by the pottery businesses after new production methods, new ways of making work and international competetion forced the local pottery trade to shut down. Her ephemeral gesture celebrates the intricacy and delicate skills that are needed to produce these ceramics pieces.
Korea shares a cultural heritage of ceramics production with Stoke-On-Trent. A depth of historical narrative that's deeply rooted in a collective haptic knowledge of working with pottery.
Research questions surrounding the post-industrial age, cultural values and the artist as archaeologist can be answered with Brownswords exploration of two cities' cultural heritage.
His project tackled intergenerational practice, the transferration of knowledge to new generations of ceramics workers. Brownsword's piece with a performance from Ceramics worker Rita Floyd allows audiences to access the internalised set of rules that master practitioners hold within.
Floyd continuously produced clay flowers, discarding them afterwards in a number of piles infront of her. This process can act as a metaphor for the skilled workers of the trade. Having been discarded by the pottery businesses after new production methods, new ways of making work and international competetion forced the local pottery trade to shut down. Her ephemeral gesture celebrates the intricacy and delicate skills that are needed to produce these ceramics pieces.
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| Factory Performance Installation, Neil Brownsword, 2017. Photo: Korea Ceramic Foundation [2] |
Brownswords exploration of his research questions expanded on Claudia Casali's inital keynote. The context of a post-industrialist Stoke-On-Trent offered an enriched undertsanding of the economic status of Ceramics in the city that intertwined itself with international pottery trades closely linked by an intergenerational cultural heritage.
1. Avaliable at : http://edition.cnn.com/style/article/what-ruin-porn-tells-us-about-ruins-and-porn/index.html - S. Lyons, 2016
2. Avaliable at : http://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/artists/neil-brownsword/ - accessed Oct 2017
Amy Foster 2017
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