Ceramica at the V&A
Signs and Wonders, detail, Edmund de Waal
The V&A is celebrating the opening of its new ceramics gallery with Ceramica, a special weekend of clay-inspired events (18-20 September)
Visitors can of course merely admire the spanking new galleries, but if they want to get more involved, there’s a range of special events on that require participation. Claire Twomey, for example, will be creating The Collection, a site-specific installation, which involves visitors filling a empty vitrines in the gallery with memories of their own precious ceramics. More than just memories are required by the museum’s Ceramist in Residence, Stephen Dixon, who will be asking visitors to bring along any old broken ceramics and incorporate them into a large mosaic of Queen Victoria. And then there’s a chance to watch ceramics being fired, as Thiébaut Chagué will be building a kiln in the museum gardens which will burn all weekend before being finally opened to see the finished results on Sunday evening.
There’s also a series of talks and demonstrations by Willie Harcourt-Cooze about historic ceramics and chocolate-making, a chance to hear Edmund de Waal (whose made a specially commissioned installation for the gallery) on contemporary ceramics, and if that’s not enough, Barnaby Barford will be showing a short animated film starring a pair of his delightfully kitsch porcelain figurines. What more could you possibly want?
www.vam.ac.uk
