Hollowware

Performance, short film installation

This artwork featured in The Precious Clay (2019). A Meadow Arts commission. 

How much time does one vase contain? How far might a piece of Royal Worcester travel during its lifespan? Hollowware takes its title from some of those forms made at Royal Worcester and the porcelain jugs, pots and other items that took pride of place in people’s homes. After research in the Museum’s extensive archive and collection, Speed became especially interested in the factory’s workers, the link with the nearby canals, and the perception of good taste.

A short film shows scenes from a performance event that took place in August around Diglis Basin, in collaboration with the Canal and River Trust’s art programme The Ring. The performer, wearing a costume and carrying a collection of small objects, followed the route the porcelain used to take on the start of its journey, out of the factory, via the canals. The domestic-scale installation in which the film is being shown merges the ‘Roses and Castles’ style of canal boat painting and details from Royal Worcester decorations in painted slip.

 

About the artist

Emily Speed

Emily Speed exhibited in The Precious Clay, Museum of Royal Worcester, 2019, commissioned by Meadow Arts.

Image: Emily Speed, Hollowware, Artist’s performance, commissioned by Meadow Arts with The Ring, 2018. Photo: Stefan Handy.