The next phase of 2017’s Made in Korea project is about to begin. I am delighted to announce that we will be participating in the fifth iteration of British Ceramics Biennial in Spode Works, Stoke-on-Trent, opening on 23rd September and continuing until 5th November.
Made in Korea is a cultural exchange between the UK and Korea evolving throughout 2017 in Brighton, London, Stoke-on-Trent and Seoul, part of the UK-Korea Cultural Season 2017-18 supported by the British Council. With 20 artists from Korea, 5 from the UK, and encompassing 4 exhibitions, 4 concerts, an international residency, and the launch of a unique audio guide, Made in Korea is seventh and most ambitious Ceramic House project to date.
This part of the Made in Korea project involves the work made by the Korean artists in residence, Kyung Won Baek and Jin Kim, who did a residency at The Ceramic House for 7 weeks during May-June. The work they created will be exhibited alongside my new work, presented on two parallel walls facing each other, creating an intimate installation space within Spode Works.
The Koreans’ work responds directly to the ceramic manufacturing traditions of Wedgwood in Stoke-on-Trent, with which they are drawing parallels with Korean manufacturing industry, in particular the female-dominated labour force and positions traditionally held by women. My work takes its inspiration from traditional Korean roof tiles. Whilst in Korea on my research trip last year, I visited many palaces and looked at traditional Korean architecture, and one of the defining characteristics of these pavilions is the ubiquitous presence of roof tiles, which form a functional and aesthetic purpose edging the roofs.
The two installations will evoke a cultural conversation between UK and Korean ceramic traditions and will be further linked by a four-channel sound installation by Joseph Young, composed of the sounds of hand-made clay making processes recorded in artists’ studios in Korea in Korea and industrialised ceramic production in factories in Stoke-on-Trent, creating a multi-layered soundscape.
Sound and Public Space
Three Korean and three UK sound artists will engage in a sonic dialogue curated by Joseph Young. The sound works will reference ceramic manufacturing processes in the UK and Korea and feature on a specially designed, geo-locative audio app, with the sounds discoverable via GPS at iconic locations in Stoke-on-Trent and Seoul.
The app launches at BCB in September, offering visitors a unique 3D audio experience of Stoke and its historic manufacturing legacy. In partnership with Seoul-based sound artist and curator Hankil Ryu, the app will then debut in Seoul in November with a concert as part of the Resonance Festival at Mullae Arts Factory, accompanied by an exhibition of Aplin’s Korean-inspired ceramics.
