Q & A with Blue Hill reflecting on the process of co-production

How did you work in partnership with the community?

During this project I met with members of the community groups. It was wonderful to engage with the variety of personalities and they were brilliant giving their feedback and encouragement on the work I was making. This all informed the designs. It was also great to spend some time in the Pottery and People exhibition meditating on the stories and wonderful artefacts loaned. 

What have you learnt about your creative practice through co-producing with our community?

I found incredible inspiration working with such a variety of experiences and stories the participants offered for me to tap into. I find that bouncing off these ideas and experiences flowed very naturally but I needed to be on my toes to catch the ideas when they struck! Due to the short time I had to create a body of work, the biggest challenge was distilling ideas and then simplifying the making process to allow me to make the most of the time I had in the studio and produce a coherent body of work.  

What challenges did you face while co-producing and how were these overcome?

In my own work I have full access to the studio and can control the process from start to finish, during my time working in the Leach Pottery I had to let go of this and develop a new way of working and create different techniques. I was also using materials in a way I had never done before. In my own work I use terracotta clay and slips but for this project I used the traditional Leach clay body with house glaze which must go through stoneware firings using their gas kilns. This produces very different effects from the same materials so I had to take a very different approach to decoration and design than in my own work. I found this learning curve interesting and exciting!

What tips do you have for potters working with community groups to co-produce?

While I was developing the first test pieces I held a workshop for the community programme participants who had contributed their pottery and ideas to the People & Pottery exhibition. I showed the test pieces to them and their responses were surprising in so many ways. For example, I noticed that people were drawn to the really simple designs and textures I had used - the subdued colours in preference over the bolder designs! They loved the more experiential pieces so an open mind is handy when working like this.

How did the community programme participants’ involvement shape the collection?

Their ideas and stories shaped all my decisions. I adapted my ideas and direction of the final work in response to our conversations. For example, because they were so drawn to the simplified elements, this featured in the outcomes. One of the test pieces I made was really raw and textured. To me this was just a tester by the participants love it and that’s why the sugar and tea bag boxes are these hand built pieces with raw edges – they remind me of the Cornish landscape. Engaging with the community participants was the most important part, explaining the process and demonstrating opened up the conversation.

The slip decoration on the pieces is informed by the participants’ designs and drawings, mimicking DNA and echoing some of the floral designs seen in the People & Pottery exhibitions – art deco mixed more traditional painted flowers. We were keen for the handles of the mugs to be bored and large in order to accommodate the arthritic fingers. One of the things they were drawn to the bright cobalt blue of the test pieces. This is a departure from the colours which I associate with Bernard Leach’s palette.

The tick shape recurs in my work and is a traditional shape seen in traditional English but it was also seen in the designed stamps made by the participants and their sketches, therefore it becomes as recurring symbol across the collection.

Everyone was so drawn to the playful Trevor Corser piggy banks that they had to feature in the collection…hence the piggy bank teapot!

How did you respond to the People & Pottery exhibition?

With this project there was already a fairly clear direction, so my challenge was bringing the ideas together: creating something that brought together the rich history and tradition of the Leach Pottery with the stories and new ideas of the community. Blending the old and new and allowing this to be projected through my work which proved to be a challenge but an exhilarating one!