Month: June 2016

It was our final day of workshops and we busily prepared ourselves, producing best batch of moulds over the entire three weeks…all good things come to those who wait!

It’s funny how attached you can become to a place once you have integrated yourself there over a period of time…

We had more wonderful local residents come and visit with us today, as well as the ceramics technician at Middlesex University along with his family – it was great for him to see us in action and see that the slip was working better than anticipated!

And, as ever there were some beautiful pieces made, ready for firing and to be included in our exhibition in July.

We were also visited by a collective of artists living locally and who are anticipating putting on their own work at the house later on in the year popped in to look around as well as discovering what we are all about

The weather did reflect all of our moods.  We were all feeling a little overcast and sombre and the light wasn’t as bright as it had been, almost as though it was marking the end of this phase of our project at the house

However…You can’t remain melancholy for too long and there is much planning to do for the upcoming exhibition in July – keep the 22nd – 24th July free in your diaries and come along and join us in celebrating all of the beautiful work that has been created over the past three weeks and will be added to with our own interpretations of stories shared and experiences gained.  It will be well worth the visit!

 

Proudly sponsored by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club & Middlesex University

    

All images are copyright of Collective Exchange

 

You never can tell what’s going to happen to a cast when you take it out from it’s mould, but the odds are pretty good that it’ll usually come out pretty well formed – imperfection is in fact perfection – unless there is the misfortune of it getting stuck or if the slip leaks.

We have discovered though that it is not just the cast that comes out pretty well, but when those little incidents happen, the mould also becomes an object of perfection

Even shavings from the casts themselves prove interesting

 

Proudly sponsored by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club & Middlesex University

    

All images are copyright of Collective Exchange

It was our second to last day of workshops and we were all feeling a little melancholy.  Although the day was fairly quiet, it gave us the chance to reflect over the past three weeks and all that we have learnt and been able to share with all the local residents who have come along and participated so far

Nothing has gone to waste in any way, even the ‘crocks’ are being decorated along with some of our participants finding use for scraps of plastic clay!

 

Proudly sponsored by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club & Middlesex University

    

All images are copyright of Collective Exchange

It’s our final week of workshops

The rain came….

And so did the participants!  We had one of our busiest workshop sessions since we started…

Some familiar faces and lots of new ones

There were some really lovely stories and memories shared…

Along with some really interesting work

Come and join us on Thursday, 16th or on Saturday, 18th.  Sessions are 10-1pm or 2-5pm

 

Proudly sponsored by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club & Middlesex University

    

All images are copyright of Collective Exchange

It was a great start to the day’s sessions, we had participants who have been in the area for different lengths of time; from 10 years to a year give or take and those who have lived in the area all their lives

Through the sharing of stories, there was a real sense of community and also those new to the area who were starting to build on that connection with others who had also recently moved there alongside existing long-term residents

There was talk of dragons and big cats and that sense of apprehension when faced with something new…the decoration and personal design of a pot and tile…new ways of drawing were shown and discovered…

We also had some surprise decorations of our own during the revealing process, beautiful in their own right

Thankfully the rain held off and we were able to get some prep work done outside for the start of the final week next Tuesday

Proudly sponsored by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club & Middlesex University

    

All images are copyright of Collective Exchange

We’ve not been in the house for the duration of our three weeks of workshops.

During the week we had some time away and headed up to the cemetery for some peace and quiet,

allowing us to collect our thoughts and be in the peaceful companionship of many former residents

 

Proudly sponsored by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club & Middlesex University

    

All images are copyright of Collective Exchange

The sun managed to stay out this morning which gave us the perfect opportunity to dry some moulds in the sunshine

We ventured over to Tottenham Marshes for lunch and an opportunity to explore the area a little more in-depth, as well as too catch some sun!  We are discovering just how friendly the Tottenham community is and have had some interesting chats both on the marshes as well as in the morning at 810

It seems that anything out of the ordinary really sparks curiosity in folk!

We made it back in the nick of time as the heavens opened not long after we returned for the afternoon session

Yet another budding artist who also happens to be a potter, came and joined us bringing with her a lovely splash of colour to liven up what turned into a pretty wet afternoon

Proudly sponsored by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club & Middlesex University

    

All images are copyright of Collective Exchange

We had another fantastic day of workshops

Our sessions saw our talented potters hard at work and there were some beautiful designs being produced on both pots and tiles

Towards the end of the sessions, there was the opportunity to see inside the house where the exhibition will be held and an opportunity to work outside and enjoy the sunshine

 

Proudly sponsored by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club & Middlesex University

    

All images are copyright of Collective Exchange