Making Change Conference:
Ceramic Practice as a Medium of Social & Political Change & Resistance

Online Conference: 6 May 2022

When Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada established the Leach Pottery in 1920, it marked one of many acts of radicalism to punctuate the Pottery’s unfolding story. From Leach resisting the expectations of his social background, to upholding the artist-potter narrative, to valuing the act of making and hand-made pots in a time or growing industrial production – radical acts can, like ripples on water, be bold and also subtle inspiring echoes of change and resistance.

The idea of radicalism is fluid, transient, changing through time and from individual and cultural perspectives. One hundred years on, we are interested in today’s radical ceramic practice and have convened a series of talks and conversations to ask how clay is working as a medium of social and political change and resistance.

The programme, developed by the Leach Pottery as part of its Leach 100 celebrations, will explore ceramic practice as an agent for social change through practice and engagement and ceramic practice as a site and/or medium of political resistance and engagement.

Programme

10.00-10.10 - Welcome: Libby Buckley Director, Leach Pottery

10.10-10.30 - Convenors’ Introduction: Tanya Harrod, Craft Writer and Historian

10.30-11.00 - Clay and contemporary art: Dr Jareh Das, Researcher, Writer and Independent Curator. 
Taking the contemporary display of Body Vessel Clay: Black Women, Ceramics and Contemporary Art as a point of departure, Dr Jareh Das will explore how clay continues to serve as a political and transformative medium for a generation of contemporary artists.

11.00-11.10 - Questions

11.10-11.15 - Break

11.15-11.45 - 'These are fragments shored against the ruins’; clay, stories, shards: Edmund de Waal, Artist and Writer. 
In this short, illustrated talk Edmund de Waal will look at projects dealing with memory and restitution including his library of exile and exhibitions in Vienna, Paris and New York.

11.45-11.55 - Questions

11.55-12.05 - Webinar close and move to Zoom networking meeting / Break

12.05-12.25 - Networking in a Zoom meeting (optional)

12.25-13.00 - Lunch

13.00-13.10 - Convenors’ Welcome: Tanya Harrod

13.10-13.40 - Craft as commons: some reflections and an agenda for practice: Dr Leila Dawney, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, University of Exeter and Emma Daker, Exhibitions and Project Development Manager, Craftspace. 
Dr Leila Dawney and Emma Daker will consider the problems of collectivising in an individualised world, how craft making can communicate alternative political imaginaries, and ways to speak across intellectual and practical forms of knowledge. They will reflect on their recent AHRC research network “Crafting the Commons”, which supported the development of Craftspace’s ‘We are Commoners’ exhibition. The network brought together exhibitors, craft professionals and academics to discuss and make work in relation to the idea of the commons.

13.40-13.50 - Questions

13.50-13.55 - Break

13.55-14.05 - Convenor’s Closing Reflections: Tanya Harrod

14.05-14.15 - Webinar close and move to Zoom networking meeting / Break

14.15-14.40 - Networking (optional)

14.40 - Event Close