The British Ceramics Biennial (BCB) returns to Stoke-on-Trent from 7 September to 13 October 2019, with Staffordshire University staff contributing towards the event.
The prestigious cultural event is celebrating its 10th anniversary with an extended programme that begins in the BCB hub, the China Hall in the original Spode factory site.
It then extends to AirSpace gallery, and springs up across the city with special site specific commissions and interventions at Middleport Pottery, The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Spode Works and World of Wedgwood, each a champion of Stoke-on-Trent’s ceramic identity.
The BCB initiative is intended to be a catalyst for regeneration in the region and to create a platform for innovation and excellence celebrating the best in current ceramic design, both nationally and internationally.
Led by Neil Brownsword, Professor of Ceramics, members of Staffordshire University have created the installation ‘Externalising the Archive’ which was inspired by the 70,000 plaster moulds which remain on site at the former Spode Factory.
Staff involved include Tim Forrester, Angela Attkinson, Ed Austin, Mike Whitehead, David Edwards, Richard Harper, Tom Vine and Emma Fallows.
The project assembles a diverse range of artistic interventions and digital media made in response to the former Spode factory’s archives and production histories.
Over the five-week event, on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday between 10:30am-4:30pm, visitors will be able to navigate their way into the former factory's mould store through virtual reality technologies.
There is also a series of events throughout the BCB festival enable public interaction with the live digitisation of materials associated with the legacy of the Spode factory, at the Spode Museum Trust Heritage Centre offering insights into the documentation and creative dissemination of cultural heritage.
If you are to visit, there will be food and drink available on site, provided by The Slamwich Club. RAWR, and BottleCraft. For more information visit https://www.britishceramicsbiennial.com/