As part of the project ART:LANGUAGE:LOCATION taking place in Cambridge, Matthew Blakely is exhibiting some of his ceramic works on the ground floor of the ARB from 17 October for the duration of the Festival of Ideas.
“Of all the arts pottery is the most connected to and dependant on the physical nature of the planet we inhabit. The aim of my new work is to explore the link between ceramics and geology and place, making pieces that rely entirely on geological samples collected in specific sites and that illustrate the qualities inherent in these materials. This approach takes ceramics back to its essence and illustrates a new way of looking at the geology of Britain. The rocks and clays that form the basis for these ceramic pieces are unrefined, impure and therefore unpredictable. I have been able to produce truly exceptional qualities that would be impossible to achieve in any other way. That is what makes this work unique.”