This workshop exercise hopes to create an opportunity for an open dialogue between practitioners through materials, objects and finding connections. Workshop participants will experience various approaches to creating, what is and can be used and why.

British Ceramics Biennial Creative Producer and Artist Rhiannon Ewing-James will facilitate the Connections in Material and Practice workshop in a way that offers participants the opportunity to lead discussions through various forms of mapping, re-mapping and making connections. This workshop hopes to expand our material palette beyond our practice into finding appropriate materials and aesthetics that are authentic to our concepts and hopes.

This workshop is suitable for all practitioners (students, emerging/professional artists, designers, creatives) who are open to thinking critically about their own work, concept building and to those who are a bit stuck.

Aims of the workshop:

• Practice openness - to alternative materials, to experimentation, to approaching materials with reckless abandon, to seek critique of ones practice from others, to the ideas of others, to be receptive of the critique of others, to sharing ideas and thoughts with others

• Confidence - in ones practice, in ones choices through understanding, knowledge and intuition, in discussing, listening and working with others, in presenting work and thoughts to and with others, in receiving ideas from others and discussing/sharing ideas with others.

• Supportiveness - to give support to the practice of others and to actively receive support.

Participants should bring:

• 1 material they like but might not have used before or a material they hate and will never use. (examples: plastic, plastic packaging, paper, tissue paper, linen, cotton, concrete, marble, iron, wood, drift wood, lustre, plaster, porcelain, terracotta, stoneware, wood fired ceramics, salt glazed ceramics...)

• 1 object/drawing that illustrates a new direction in their work or qualities they enjoy. (Object if 3D must be table top size)

• 1 word that is important to their work, or describes their work. (Take note of this word, examples: translucent, fragile, industrious, earth, manufactured, glaze, glossy, ephemeral, status, digital, process, expensive, cheap, plastic, connection, labor, functional, wearable, experiential, participatory...)

To do before the workshop:

Think about the materials you use in your work. Why?

Think about the materials you don't use in your work. Why?

Think about the processes you use to make your work? Why?

Please note:

As part of this workshop you will be asked why you have brought the material, the object and the word.

Be prepared to talk about your work and to talk with others about theirs

Workshop layout:

Duration: 5-6 hours approx. not including breaks