Output details

‘Connectivity’ - experimental public artwork for site-specific location.

Built Environment Award & Award Exhibition of the British Ceramic Biennial

Brief Description

At the British Ceramic Biennial 2009 (BCB), Heeney and Shaw gained a ‘National Award for Ceramics in the Built Environment’ (£3000) for their collaborative work ‘Connectivity’, which investigated new ways of combining porcelain, brick and print. The BCB is an international platform for ceramic practice, with significant biennial international exhibitions and awards. This work led to a collaboration between Heeney and architects Sjölander da Cruz, for the project Youth Spaces (2012) which was shortlisted for the ‘Public Spaces’ Brick Award and the Stephen Lawrence Architecture Award. In 2013, Heeney was re-invited to participate in the European Research Project Topographies of the Obsolete, a collaborative project between BCB 2013 and Bergen, Copenhagen, Denmark, and Kiel Universities.

Research Rationale

Heeney and Shaw explored the importance of site and place (Burslem area of Stoke–on-Trent) in the creation of site-specific artworks, investigating the technical and artistic potential of combining porcelain (Shaw) and blue/black brick (Heeney) with reflective glazes (Heeney) and printed surface (Shaw). The project exploited their collaboration with two different traditional industries, Ibstock Brick Company, and Wedgwood and has influenced the architectural ceramics industry internationally.

Strategies Undertaken

Heeney’s and Shaw’s key objective was to explore the potential of combining blue black brick (Heeney) and Porcelain (Shaw) with a series of reflective glazes (Heeney) and printed surface (Shaw) through a series of material investigations. They investigated traditional and contemporary colour combinations within contemporary architecture in relation to ideas of site and place. Rich decorative surfaces were developed through building up multiple layers of screen printing and glazing for structures within public spaces.