The projects Clayground are presenting in the Look Who’s Talking online exhibition took place between May and September 2022; they are representative of the organisation’s approach in that, on the one hand, they are informal and celebratory clay events designed to be creative, experiential and inclusive and, on the other, use clay processes and ceramic objects to inspire people’s curiosity about ceramic culture as a window on human history.
One of the projects, Animate Your City, was part of the London Festival of Architecture. Its first event was a tactile workshop, in which blind and visually impaired children and their carers were invited to imagine and build an ambitious, large-scale collaborative sculpture of their city. It was followed by a further experiential, sensory clay workshop, this time open to all. The aim of the second workshop was to get the participants to connect with clay through their sense of touch. Sighted participants worked alongside blind and visually impaired people, gaining an understanding of other ways to connect with the material world. It offered the opportunity to practise visual memory and rely on other senses to represent ideas about the city. Not only were these events joyful and creative experiences but, as research bears out, when children and young people in particular are offered the chance to learn new skills, it can ‘expand their horizons and develop a sense of self, well-being and belonging.’ Such activities can also give young people the chance the express themselves verbally and artistically on the same level as adults, and build confidence in their ability to turn an idea into a reality.
Clayground Collective succinctly characterises its mission as encouraging the development of clay studies and hand skills while ‘inviting the public to engage in activities which are enjoyable, absorbing and meaningful and from which they can learn.’ The ways in which they do this are diverse and far-reaching, involving a vast network of partners, collaborators, communities and individuals from different social backgrounds, cultures and generations. The activities they devise have ‘strong visual impact, an element of performance and collective making, contributing to shared cultural memory.’ In producing public events and installations they have worked, for example, with schoolchildren, youth, community and specialist interest groups, homelessness charities, mental health groups and visually impaired young people, often finding ways to bring participants together to share experiences as they work on a specific project.
Clayground Collective was formally established in 2007, although the proto-organisation dates from projects carried out as early as 2001. Its principal personnel and directors are Duncan Hooson, Julia Rowntree and Claire West, who work with a team of associates. Duncan is a ceramic artist, specialising in participatory public artworks and an educator, teaching on the Ceramics BA course at Central Saint Martins; Julia is an experienced producer and researcher who came to Clayground following a career as Development Director of the London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT); Claire is a freelance consultant working on curatorial and development projects, having formerly held senior managerial positions at organisations such as the Crafts Council, London’s South Bank Centre and Horniman Museum.