Penny Lecture: Clayground’s Clay Assembly (London Craft Week)

Clayground Collective challenges the conventional view of clay simply as a medium for making pots. In response to closure of ceramic courses in schools and colleges, Clayground set out to devise creative projects and learning initiatives to re-engage people with clay wherever it occurs. Large-scale public artworks have put tonnes of clay at the centre of cities inviting thousands of people to make alongside one another, celebrating the creative potential of this abundant and universal material. Their research has led them to connect with cultures around the world, Britain’s canal system, the Thames foreshore – even to Mars. Work with poets, artists and archaeologists has opened up fresh opportunities to engage people of all ages in clay and making. Discussions with scientists, medics and literacy development experts has revealed the significance of craft skills in the brain’s development and wider learning. Clayground will challenge you to look at your own skills in a new light and reflect on the responsibility to pass these on.