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For the slip casting process a mould has to be made and for that, a shape has to be created.  Using plaster and a lathe machine we fashioned our first ‘chimney pot’ which is basic to say the least

Our plaster mix needed some refining but it proved adequate

The mould building process in progress

Although a rather cumbersome mould, it produced the first cast which we cast using white earthenware as a test as we are still working on our ‘Tottenham Clay Recipe’

Proudly sponsored by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club & Middlesex University

As testing had only just initially started, we needed to collect more clay…this time a large quantity as it would also be the material used during our workshops and we need to ensure that we were using as close to the same batch as possible to avoid any ‘recipe’ pitfalls.

The contractors on-site at the new stadium site have been amazing and extremely helpful.  So having organised a day to collect and enlisting the help of a friend with a van, the big pick-up began…

After several trips and a bit of a strain on both vehicles suspension (and our own!), we managed to get all of the clay back to university and off-loaded

And so the real work begins…

Proudly sponsored by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club & Middlesex University

Craft is all about the process and by inviting the community to get involved, we hope to break down the idea that it is something that only artists and crafts people can do.  Although some elements will have already been undertaken, the majority of the process will be shown to highlight the journey from beginning to end result

Having made initial tests with a small amount of the clay sourced from the new White Hart Lane stadium site, we discovered that it did not like certain temperatures, definitely liked to shrink and changed colour accordingly!

A few before and after shots of colour…

After and before firing

Playing with textures and form

After firing

Proudly sponsored by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club & Middlesex University

An impressive Georgian Grade II listed building occupied by various residents.  From Hendersons the seed merchants to Gedeney, principal suppliers of cloth for liveries of the Grocers Company to stationers and photographers, this Elaborate 18th Century house has stood through many changes.

Its interior is testament to this, the layers of wallpaper that are peeling away to reveal hidden designs and colours of bygone eras.

This will be our residence during the month of June.  We will be hosting a series of workshops in the courtyard, British weather permitting of course and if the heavens do decide to open, we will retreat into the safety of the coach house.

Tottenham was well known for its potteries and as luck would have it, with the development of the new stadium well underway, we had easy access to the London clay that is located 40 meters below the surface.

We are inviting the local community to assist us in producing a series of ‘chimney pots’ from the very start of the process and through to the end.  We will hold an exhibition in mid July to display the work created in response to the narratives that are shared during the making process.

Much like the chimneys waiting to be put to work again, this resurfacing of memories is a way of saying ‘we are here’ and for them to be shared on a wider level across all ages and backgrounds.

Proudly sponsored by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club & Middlesex University

London is best viewed from the ground looking up and Tottenham has its own uniqueness.  A combination of the old with the new continuously jostling for pride of place in an ever-changing concrete landscape…

Mosaic tiles adorning the outsides of buildings, barbed wire snaking across the tops of walls creating a sense of foreboding, utility poles with their wires spread-eagled over roads in a protective stance, plastic bags trying to escape their captors grip…

And then there are the chimney pots adorning the roof tops, whose longing to produce billows of coal smoke lies mainly defunct due to the introduction of central heating and the gas fire…

Our journey along the High Road continues with thoughts of our community project in the foreground of our minds.

Proudly sponsored by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club & Middlesex University