The Mass Participation Pottery Project was a cluster of workshops and events held during the summer at Chobham Manor housing showroom, Our Living Art – a space that is part of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic park in Stratford and Mobile Garden City.
Our Living Art was a unique programme of creative arts workshops, created to welcome residents to their new neighbourhood on the Park. Instigated by housing developers Taylor Wimpey, they worked with five local arts charities to bring creative family workshops to the area.
Raku Firing Weekend Event: Mobile Garden City
Led by: Roger Sanna And Frank Jennings
24th – 25th June 2017
Over the weekend, we hosted a specialist raku firing event in collaboration with Chobham Manor, LLDC and L&Q. Visitors were given an introduction to the creative process of raku firing, and were able to observe professional ceramicists perform dramatic raku kiln openings. Additionally, we invited local artists to participate in the event, giving them the opportunity for professional development by learning how to conduct a raku firing session.
Raku is a type of low-firing process; inspired by traditional Japanese raku firing, western-style raku usually involves removing pottery from the kiln whilst it is at its bright red heat stage. It is then placed into containers with combustible materials. Once these materials ignite, the containers are closed producing an intense reduction atmosphere affecting the glaze colours and clay bodies. The drastic thermal shock also produces deliberate crackling.
The workshops gave families and some of our younger audiences a chance to be involved with the day’s events. The workshops enabled them to create beautiful pieces using materials sourced through nature, and to take their creations home with them. We felt this was beneficial in helping all participants feel connected to the event and to the surrounding environment.
Pottery Workshops at Chobham Manor: Our Living Art
Throughout August
Every Saturday morning, for ten weeks in August, ceramicist Linda Gomez held pottery workshops at Chobham Manor housing showroom for residents to have the opportunity to meet and interact working with air drying clay, either on a drop in basis or weekly.
Urban Clay Event: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
25th – 26th August 2017
As part of the two day Living Art Festival held in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, ceramicist Emma Finch led a community pottery event. She taught participants how to sculpt and print onto clay, with the finished pieces included in our temporary exhibition at Rosetta Arts.
The accompanying workshops on the day were led by artist Helena Roden in which participants created bookmarks through the art of ‘flower bashing’ as well as windchimes using sticks and string.
