CLAY STORYTELLING- HOPE IN HARDSHIP

Working with a lead local ceramic artist (also a Person with Lived Experience of hardship) the creative participants learned a number of techniques from surface pattern and texture to sculptural and hand building, with the aim of expressing ideas around hardship and or poverty from their own experience and perspectives.

Rather than telling a literal story with a narrative and in some verbatim tradition,the aim of the creative approach was to celebrate what is "strong" in the context overwhat is "wrong"
(creative capacity and inheritance as opposed to material capital),and to articulate some of the key concepts considered by the creators using abstract,symbolic and pictorial means.

Some of the pieces are political, allegoric (with message and meaning understood bythe artist alone) - all of them are emotionally motivated and developed through aconnection with the artists/creators humanity, empathy and expressive capability.

The title of the exhibition was chosen in response to one of the pieces, and the conversations between the artists when creating their works.

​

Cath Ralph
Artist Lead & Participatory Practitioner

​