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Neil Brownsword: Poet of Residue

BROWNSWORD, Neil (2018) Neil Brownsword: Poet of Residue. In: Virtual Clay, Lecture Series 92nd St Y’s, 11th April 2018, 92nd Street Y, are an organisation based 1395 Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10128. This output was a virtual lecture. (Unpublished)

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Abstract or description

Brownsword was invited by ceramic artist Bobby Silverman to deliver a lecture surrounding his ongoing artistic mediation of the histories of ceramic manufacture in Stoke-on-Trent. The lecture focused upon craft knowledge within industry that remains endangered/unviable for contemporary production, raising questions surrounding the value of inter-generational skill - as negotiated through his FACTORY project, shown as part of Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale (GICB) 2017.

Abstract: Poet of Residue
The ‘Potteries’ — the name given to the six towns that collectively constitute Stoke-on-Trent, remains one of the few cities in Britain still associated with an industry that for centuries has shaped both the areas economic life and physical landscape. With the industrialization of ceramics in Britain during the eighteenth century, systems of segregated labor brought about a phenomenal concentration of specialist skills and knowledge to this region. By 1800 the six towns of Stoke-on-Trent paralleled China as a world center for ceramic production. Paradoxically, recent decades have seen centuries of this cultivated expertise being relocated to the Far East. Company investment in advanced production technology has further contributed to a massive reduction of an indigenous work force and the closure/ demolition of once prevalent sites of historic manufacture. To indicate the extent of Stokes decline in 1948 around 79,000 were employed in the North Staffordshire ceramics industry, in recent years the figure bottomed out to around 6000.

For over a decade Neil Brownsword’s artistic practice has remained a potent form of recording this historic change within the region. His exploration of post-industrial landscape as a raw material has renegotiated North Staffordshire’s associated socio-economic histories and production infrastructure through a variety of perspectives and practices. This presentation will elucidate Brownsword’s ongoing investigation of place, the displacement of its heritage industry.

'92nd Street Y has been serving its communities and the larger world by bringing people together and providing exceptional, ground breaking programs in the performing and visual arts; literature and culture; adult and children’s education; talks on a huge range of topics; health and fitness; and Jewish life'.

Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (Lecture)
Faculty: School of Creative Arts and Engineering > Art and Design
Event Title: Virtual Clay, Lecture Series 92nd St Y’s
Event Location: 92nd Street Y, are an organisation based 1395 Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10128. This output was a virtual lecture
Event Dates: 11th April 2018
Depositing User: Neil BROWNSWORD
Date Deposited: 04 Jun 2019 10:03
Last Modified: 24 Feb 2023 13:56
URI: https://eprints.staffs.ac.uk/id/eprint/5659

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