Author Archives: Bridget Macklin

Before Christmas I went to see the exhibition at Tate Modern on the work of Maria Bartuszova. It is on until mid April and very well worth seeing. My visit followed directly on from a visit to the Hayward Gallery to see the exhibition Strange Clay, which, by the way, you are too late for as it finished in January.

What struck me most about it was the clunkiness of much of the ceramics featured at the Hayward in contrast to the fragility of the plaster of Paris at the Tate. Returning home I vowed to see if I could reverse this contrast – use plaster of Paris moulds to make exceptionally fragile ceramic structures. It is a crazy quest – this level of fragility comes with a huge number of fails – but when I get it right it is showing exciting promise. So here is a little taster of what is to come . . . . .

It will form the bulk of the work for my Masters degree final major project in Summer 2023 and I am very hopeful that the work which comes out of the kiln will be unique and amazing. Fingers crossed.

I know that I have been quiet on here recently but don’t be fooled. The studio has been very busy and the kiln has been firing almost non-stop for weeks now. The reason? I am involved with three exhibitions in the next couple of months – all of them really exciting.

First up is Rooted. This is a group exhibition of work inspired by the Cornish China Clay Industry. It takes place at Wheal Martyn Museum and the work that I have created is different, experimental and fun. Please come along and see my work and that of a number of other great artists from Cornwall.

Secondly, we have Shine. This is another group exhibition. This time with the Cornwall and Devon Cluster of Design Nation. It takes place in November at the Bedruthan Hotel on the beautiful north coast of Cornwall and promises to be an exciting showcase of the work of some of the finest and most innovative makers in Cornwall and Devon.

Finally, and most exciting of all, is Lepidoptera. The Royal Cornwall Museum invited me to work with their behind the scenes collections to create a solo show inspired by what they care for on behalf of Cornwall. I was bowled over by their natural history specimens and decided to focus on one small part – the butterflies. This is a hopeful exhibition about the collectors of butterflies and moths, their impact, then and now, and their legacy. It considers the current efforts in conservation and raises the question ‘would it matter if there were no more butterflies?’