The Loft Pots: Firing, Selection and Contemplation is a solo exhibition of work by ceramic artist Steve Harrison. The installation brings together a remarkable selection of never before seen ceramic works made over a 20-year period, alongside more recent pots, furniture, and a film.
The exhibition is running until 15 February 2020 at the Blue Mountain School.
Made between 2000–2019, The Loft Pots constitutes a unique body of work that was previously kept by Harrison as part of his personal archive. Shown together here for the first time, the works are presented as a ‘fantasy firing’ in homage to all the previous kilns Harrison has built and offer a momentous overview of a 20-year investigation into form and function.
The ‘fantasy kiln’ Steve has built for the show was printed direct to ply wood by mjcp on our Arizona flatbed printer. Many years ago now mjcp were the first company in the UK to start experimenting with printing direct to ply wood and many other substrates, Steve recognised this expertise when he approached us to help him with his kiln.
Steve Harrison’s real kiln that the design was based on for the printed version.
Steve inside the mjcp printed ply wood version,
with a cup of tea of course.
Harrison’s meticulously crafted ceramics are made using ancient pottery techniques such as throwing and press moulding stoneware and porcelain clay. To glaze the pots, he introduces salt into the kiln at high temperatures to produce the distinct orange-peel like texture his work is known for. The outcome relies on an interaction between the skill of the potter, the kiln itself and being able to work in varying conditions, which can affect a firing. For Harrison, the process is endlessly fascinating and challenging, yielding results that are often unpredictable and creating discrepancies across his output.
