ULYSSES IN LOCAL CERAMIC

In my work I aspire to use locally sourced, sustainable materials. For this proposal I was inspired by the fact that in the past it was common practice in this area that bricks were made from locally excavated clay. While researching the geology of the building site and the availability of local clay I discovered that the nearby Underground extension of the Northern Line from Kennington to Battersea was under construction. 

I arranged to collect eighteen large bags of pure clay excavated from around twenty meters underground. The colour of this clay was dark brown but after firing it in a kiln it turned bright red. Many traditional brickwork developments in London, like those on Sloane Square, show the same colour. By creating ceramic objects out of this locally sourced clay the installation reference the geography and history of this particular location.

The tenants of One Embassy Gardens are all publishing companies, sharing two entrances. The proposed installation functions as a separating element between the dedicated entrance area of the main tenant Penguin Random House from the general entrance. To reflect the users’ preoccupation with language and the written word it seemed an obvious idea to include text in this installation. As an example we chose text from James Joyce’s Ulysses not only because it is one of the most influential authors on the roster of Penguin Random House, but it also creates a link to the Irish heritage of Ballymore’s owner Sean Mulryan. 

By engraving single sentences from the book on ceramic discs, the size of each disc is determined by the length of the sentence. The discs are attached to wires suspended from the ceiling so that the installation becomes a graphical display of Ulysses, resembling vertical sound waves. To read the full sentences the viewer must actively engage with the installation by rotating the disks.

While working for PLP-Architecture I was chosen to pitch for an art installation in the lobby of One Embassy Gardens in Vauxhall, London. By basing the pitch on my previous personal work, PLP were selected for the project. I independently developed the concept and design proposals for two art installations, of which one was finally executed and now feature in the lobby.

The two proposals were The Shape of Bricks (completed January, 2020) and Ulysses in Local Ceramics (not executed), both acknowledging the origins of the client Sean Mulryan (Ballymore), who started his career as a bricklayer in Ireland.