A year of exploring clay, creativity, location and community.
Rachel Kurdynowska has devised an intensive year long programme that consists of four terms that are each 10 weeks long. Throughout the year she will nurture a group dynamic that supports each artist to share and challenge their ways of working, creating a safe space for experimentation in the study of ceramics.
In her 2024 programme as part of a group of eight artists you will gather and make materials, share test results, discuss ideas and create new work.
Each term will involve making materials as a group, demonstrations, exercises, field trips, alongside your own avenue of making and testing where Rachel will be on hand to provide guidance and 1-to-1 feedback. You may prefer to work as an individual, or to develop a project collaboratively with other members of the group, but fundamentality these sessions are for creative exploration and experimentation.
To make this programme as accessible as possible we have decided to split payments across each term, so if you wish to attend the full year you simply need to sign up to the first term. Existing students will be given first option to join the next term, before we open it out to the general public.
Friday Mornings, 10:00am-1:00pm
Collapsible content
Term 4 — Testing on a Larger Scale
October 18th—13th December (10 weeks)
How to present research documentation, whilst creating an archive of tests.
Term 4 concludes our year of research, material exploration and ceramic testing. This term will provide the chance to revisit all test results to combine, test further, on a larger scale, whilst collectively considering how to present, document and share results for future use.
Week 1 (18th October)
Introduction and term overview. Studying our 30 weeks of results, a discussion of exhibiting ideas with regards to publicly sharing research. Discussions for a permanent archival document, for private/public publication.
Week 2 (25th October)
Making tests to cover any areas not covered in pervious terms - Individual making / testing
Week 3 (1st November)
Individual making / testing
Week 4 (8th November)
Individual making / testing
Week 5&6 (15th November)
Group trip to 4th Floor V&A, London
BREAK - 22nd November
Week 7 (29th November)
Individual making / testing
Week 8 (6th December)
Sharing & Recording of results, with potential to form into publication/results record/zine
Week 9 (13th December)
Final group session - year conclusion - planning for “Sharing of results"
Week 10 - CRG Christmas celebration - Sharing of results
14/15th December / Open to friends and family
Term 3 — Glaze dissection
July 5th—6th September (10 weeks)
Glaze dissection
Term 3 will provide a basic introduction into glaze chemistry, production and editing.
You will learn to create line blends and experiment with balancing raw materials to create a simple glaze recipe. We will also explore glaze adaptation through the introduction of oxides and found materials.
Week 1 (5th July)
Introduction and overview. Basic look at glazes - exploring balance, what’s happening during the firing, the purpose of each ingredient. Making test palettes to demonstrate and understand these raw ingredients.
Week 2 (12th July)
Glaze alteration test
Week 3 (19th July)
Learning about and making line blends with 2 different glazes
Potential BREAK - 26th July TBC (maybe be in Harris)
Week 4 (2nd August)
Incorporating found materials into glaze
BREAK - 9th August
Week 5 (16th August)
Return to see results + share
Week 6 (23rd August)
Exploring the addition of slips under glazes, onto greenware & Bisqueware
Week 7 (30th August)
Self directed making
Week 8 (6th September)
Self directed making / Individual glaze testing
Week 9 (13th September)
Individual glaze testing
Week 10 (20th September)
Reflection & sharing of results
Term 2 — Collective and Individual Testing of Materials
April 5th—June 7th (10 weeks)
Term 2 will provide a consolidated period to test materials created in the first 10-weeks of this year-long course. Together we will create a database of tests to work from, consider new ways of recording and documenting, whilst discovering how to learn from and respond to fired test results.
A continuous sharing of material research will allow you to begin integrating these new ingredients into your individual areas of ceramic enquiry.
Week 1 (5th April)
Introduction and term overview. A re-visit to CRG materials library, and a discussion around possible ways of testing. Palette testing of materials.
Week 2 (12th April)
A chance to discuss ways of documenting & recording.
Week 3 (19th April)
Group testing.
Week 4 (26th April)
Field trip to Lowestoft to walk from clay pit to lowestoft porcelain production site with local historian Ivan Bunn.
Week 5 (3rd May)
Self directed testing (Potential break).
Week 6 (10th May)
Sharing of results so far.
Week 7 (17th May)
Self directed testing / potential return trip to Happisburgh to gather further materials.
Week 8 (24th May)
Making palettes for glaze testing.
Week 9 (31st May)
Making test tiles to be fired to bisque for term 3 vertical + Horizontal.
Week 10 (7th June)
Self directed testing.
Term 1 — Material Gathering and Production
January 12th—March 15th (10 weeks)
You will focus on ceramic material and alteration, with field trips to gather materials from local sites of clay interest, and the production of a clay materials library including our own clay, slips and wild grogs for the group to use throughout the year.
The material library will allow you to share ideas and results of testing to gain a better understanding of the materials we’re using and their potential.
During this time you will be able to explore avenues of your own practise whilst creating forms to test these materials on.
Below is a preliminary schedule that may be subject to change.
Week 1
Introduction & term overview. A chance to discuss and share individual areas of interest alongside conversation around ceramic materials
Week 2
Clay production & alteration for material library
Week 3
Field trip to gather raw materials
Week 4
Time to begin processing found materials for material library
Week 5
Wild clay processing
Week 6
Clay processing of wild and CRG clay continued. Time for self directed making
Week 7
Group slip making session
Week 8
Washing sand & ash
Week 9
Terra sigillata
Week 10
Self directed making - test palettes