Every ceramicist has to be willing to dig their hands in the mud and get dirty, but, for most, that creative messiness usually occurs within the relatively civilised context of a studio or classroom. For its latest collection, The New Craftsmen has taken a group of its makers out of their typical surroundings and led them knee-deep into the mud of the River Thames.
‘Company of Beard Pullers‘ jug by Fitch & McAndrew for ‘Claylarks' collection
Earlier this year, 15 craftspeople were invited by The New Craftsmen’s creative director Catherine Lock to join a mudlarking expedition in London’s River Thames. Intertidal archaeologist Mike Webber led the group in the practice of scavenging the river bed for artefacts of historical value; teaching them how to spot shards of pottery or other small objects among the debris and explaining the significance of what they discovered.
Participants include names familiar to devotees of The New Craftsmen – 1690 (Sophie Wilson), Aude van Ryn, Bibbings & Hensby, Fitch & McAndrew, Rich Miller, James Rigler, Joe Hartley, John Wheeldon, Matthew Foster, Matthew Raw, Michael Ruh, Viv Lee, and Emma Witter — all of whom used the objects they found to inspire their works for ‘Claylarks’.
Michael Ruh’s collection for ‘Claylarks’. Photography by Gareth Hacker.
Works include 20 pieces of tableware inspired by the gluttony and debauchery of Tudor feasts, created by ceramicist Matthew Foster. He produced large platters, jugs, decorative lidded jars and vessels with animal motifs – as well as limited-edition salt-glazed vessels made with fellow ceramicist Matthew Raw – using his typographical ‘sprig’ technique, whereby low relief shapes are applied to pottery before firing.
Also inspired by Tudor decadence, artist Emma Witter (a new addition to The New Craftsmen family) has created chandeliers out of electroplated oyster shells and ‘Thames bone’ rendered in bone china. Meanwhile, Bibbings & Hensby made a Welsh dresser designed to showcase ceramic pieces collected and curated over time. The work was inspired by several hand-forged nails the furniture-making duo found while mudlarking, which galvanised them to research historic forms of nailed furniture.
The many other works that make up the collection are just as innovative and diverse in their realisation of mudlarking treasures. Lock says of the collection: ‘Ever since our early ancestors’ dexterous hands formed the materials surrounding us into items required for everyday life, adorned the environments we inhabited and helped us make sense of wondrous worlds around (and within) us, the “craft baton” has been passed from generation to generation. The resonance of the conversation, steeped with deep wisdom, child-like curiosity and ambition, has reverberated within communities of makers and their patrons, across the ages.’
‘Clayworks’ will be exhibited at The New Craftsmen’s Mayfair showroom as part of London Design Festival 2022.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
34 North Row
London
-
Two compact Canadian cabins borrow space-saving ideas from boat interiorsSpace, storage and serenity are maximised in the interiors of these lakeside cabins, immersed in nature on Vancouver Island
-
Javier's, a new cathedral-inspired restaurant in downtown LA, offers a divine take on Mexican cuisineAt the restaurant's newest location, discovery lies around every corner – and on every plate
-
We'd happily move into this super-stylish New York architecture officeMichael K Chen’s newly expanded Midtown workspace is a calling card for his intuitive style and inclusive approach
-
Lee Broom’s brutalist-inspired ‘Beacon’ will light up London as Big Ben strikes the hourSet to pulse through London Design Festival 2025 (13-22 September) and beyond, the British industrial designer’s sculptural light installation on the South Bank draws on its surroundings
-
Yuri Suzuki turns sound into architecture at Camden Arts ProjectsThe sound designer unveils ‘Utooto’, an interactive installation at London’s Camden Arts Projects (until 5 October 2025), in which visitors collaboratively build a sonic piece of architecture
-
Alex Tieghi-Walker unveils his plans for Brompton Design District 2025Ahead of London Design Festival 2025, we catch up with New York gallerist Alex Tieghi-Walker about his appointment as curator of the Brompton Design District programme
-
‘The point was giving ordinary people access to bold taste’: how Ikea brought pattern into the home‘Ikea: Magical Patterns’ at Dovecot Gallery in Edinburgh tells the story of a brand that gave us not only furniture, but a new way of seeing our homes – as canvases for self-expression
-
Design beyond humans: a new exhibition argues that the world doesn’t revolve around us‘More Than Human’ at London's Design Museum (until 5 October 2025) asks what happens when design focuses on the perspectives and needs of other species, from bees to seaweed
-
‘100 Years, 60 Designers, 1 Future’: 1882 Ltd plate auction supports ceramic craftThe ceramics brand’s founder Emily Johnson asked 60 artists, designers, musicians and architects – from John Pawson to Robbie Williams – to design plates, which will be auctioned to fund the next generation of craftspeople
-
‘Disabled people have always been here’: a new V&A show centres on disability in designCurator Natalie Kane takes us through five key exhibits from the London show, where design points the way to a more inclusive society
-
Malta’s London Design Biennale installation ‘reclaims death as a moment of reflection, not fear’Wallpaper* speaks with Andrew Borg Wirth, curator of Malta's installation, ‘URNA’, which reimagines cremation rituals
