Legacy and Continuity Ceramic Symposium

Stoke-on-Trent 100: Heritage Festival Project

This two-day symposium celebrates the rich ceramics heritage of the city and its modern World Craft City status

Stoke Town Hall

Symposium Overview:This symposium is one of the highlight events for the Stoke-on-Trent 100: Heritage Festival. Dr Alasdair Brooks and Professor Neil Brownsword in collaboration with Jingdezhen Ceramic University, China, bring together speakers from across the globe to outline the international impact of Stoke-on-Trent’s ceramic industry. This two-day symposium celebrates the rich ceramics heritage of the city and its modern World Craft City status to engage both scholars and members of the public in a discussion of the past and present of Staffordshire ceramics. The symposium is free to attend and is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.About The National Lottery Heritage FundOur vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past. Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.<a href="https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/" title="https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">www.heritagefund.org.uk</a>

Day One: The Archaeology of 19th-Century British Ceramics in an International ContextThe first day will emphasise the global reach and significance of Stoke-on-Trent’s history and heritage from an archaeological perspective. Speakers working on objects from England, Scotland, Portugal, Ghana, the Persian Gulf, the US, Chile, and New Zealand will address how relevant studies of 19th-century British ceramics can contribute to an understanding of globalised trade, international domestic consumption, and the socio-economic impact of formal and informal empire.

Day Two: Willow Pattern Ceramics and Stories of ‘Other’: Cultural Influence and Exchange Between China and BritainDay two will expand on the themes explored in the Spode Museum’s exhibition Willow Pattern Ceramics and Stories of ‘Other’, curated for the City of Stoke-on-Trent’s Centenary Celebrations. Speakers from the UK and China will explore the cultural origin of the famous Willow pattern, the British Orientalist discourse reflected in the 19th century Willow pattern story, and industrial exchange and impacts of globalization between the British and Chinese ceramics industries to the present day.

Day One Programme

Registration

Intro: The Archaeology of 19th-C British Ceramics in an International Context

‘Workshop of the World’ – Archaeological Record of the North Staffs Potteries

Glasgow’s Ghost Industry: Scotland's contribution to industrial ceramics

Refreshment Break

The English Touch: Staffordshire Ceramics in Portuguese Homes and Collections 

Entangled Aesthetics: Staffordshire Ceramics, Colonial Taste & Consumer Agenda

British Ceramics in the United Arab Emirates and Arabia c.1830-1971

Lunch Break

Archaeological insights into the impact of British ceramics in North America

Understanding the Transversal Allure of Postcolonial British Ceramics 

Direct from the Potteries: Untangling Commercial Connections to New Zealand 

Panel Discussion and Questions

Day Two Programme

Welcome and Introduction

Keynote 1: Making Willow Pattern Possible: Ways of Working in 16thC Jingdezhen

Evolution of the Willow Pattern on Ceramics in the Song, Yuan & Ming Dynasties

Jingdezhen’s Ceramic Handicraft Industry & Production of Export Porcelain 

China in Staffordshire: Influence of China on Staffs Ceramics 18thC & 19thC

Morning Questions

Including performances from Lang Wang, Associate Professor of School of International Culture and Communication, Jingdezhen Ceramic University and Professor Neil Brownsword, University of Staffordshire

Keynote 2: Competition between Chinese & European Porcelain -18thC &19thC

China on ‘china’: Orientalism in19thC British Willow-Pattern Literature & Art

The Willow Pattern as an Image of Critique in Contemporary British Ceramics

The Indefatigable Willow Pattern: From Local to Global Connections