To Bombay, a travelling Circus came, they brought an intelligent elephant and Nellie was her name. One dark night, she slipped her iron chain and off she ran to Hindustan and was never seen again...

I used one of the Scrapstore moulds to cast up a small herd of elephants in semi-porcelain casting slip.

The colour and surface quality of the freshly cast forms totally resembled elephant skin.

SCRAPSTORE

On a recent visit to Bristol Scrapstore I couldn't believe my eyes... there, amongst the usual shelves of scrap stuff were loads & loads of commercially manufactured plaster moulds for slip casting.

 

What an amazing find! The only problem was, which to choose...

 

ReOrientation

Over the next couple of months I will be using this Blog to chronicle my journey through the final stages of my Masters Degree at Bath Spa University.

I joined the MA Design: Ceramics programme in October 2011, funded by The Arts and Humanities Research Council.

During this time I have worked on several 'live' projects, including 'Pigeon English' at the Holburne Museum, 'The Cornerstone Project' for Triodos Bank, and was shortlisted for the Bath Spa Porthleven Prize 2013. 
Last year, to satisfy my ongoing interest in collections, curating and cultures of display, I was invited by Dr. Jo Dahn to attend selected MA: Curatorial Practice lectures at Corsham Court. In parallel to the taught Masters programme I have undertaken independent research in a variety of areas and have participated in an exemplary programme of Master Classes and Lecture Series presented by leading contemporary practitioners including; Takeshi Yasuda, Carol McNicoll, Bouke de Vries, Louisa Taylor, Anna Barlow, Nick Lees, Grayson Perry, Paul Scott, Moira Vincentelli, James Beighton, Conor Wilson, Neil Brownsword, Dan Allen and Mike Tooby. 

I have been fortunate to have had Jane Gibson and Keith Harrison, Jerwood Makers prize winner 2011 and Ceramics Resident at the V&A 2012-13, as my lead tutors throughout the Masters Degree.

LIGHT SHOW

CATHERINE GRAY 

I'm currently pulling my work back into the realms of light, projection, & luminosity so can't wait to visit LIGHT SHOW at the Hayward Gallery. 

DAVID BATCHELOR

CARLOS CRUZ-DIEZ

CORNERSTONE PROJECT FOR TRIODOS BANK

A recent collaboration with Fine Artist, Rachel Davies.

Community Arts Project for Triodos Bank. Participating artists were invited to make an intervention with the stone, a symbolic 'cornerstone' of a new, ethical banking system.

Watch a short film on YouTube

PIGEON ENGLISH

Installation by Catherine Gray

The Holburne Museum, Bath.

2nd-19th October 2012

http://www.holburne.org/visiting

Feral pigeons from Sidney Gardens come from beyond the Museum, while the vibrant colours of ceramic glazes, inspired by the Museum’s collection of early English porcelain, come from within. The two converge to create a passel of ceramic pigeons, which dine alongside the public in this unusual display ‘cabinet’.

Situating the work was a simple choice; the architectural design of the building’s new extension had created an intriguing void between two walls of glass, bringing the outside in and the inside out. It was this void that I wanted the work to inhabit.

Very excited to have my work for sale at Bristol's iconic design store, BRISTOL GUILD