Autumn is coming, so… (drum roll)… time for the ceramics fair Dordrecht 2018. More than 60 ceramists from Holland and abroad on the Statenplein (square) in the heart of Dordrecht, it is outside so I hope for good weather!
Ceramics Fair Dordrecht 2018
Sunday October 7
Statenplein (city centre)
11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
But however the weather will be, this year I will be there again (stall 34). So if you are looking for an unique gift for someone special (or just for your own collection), come along! And if you want to come and say goodbye, you are also more than welcome;-)
This summer (just before the Brexit) we took a closer look at the British branch of the European ceramics history. England is a big island, too big to visit all the interesting ceramics museums and galleries in a few weeks summer vacation (see blog). Hard choices had to be made. Unfortunately no stopover in London. The largest ceramics collection in the world we leave for another time.
What did we visit? The heart of the ceramics industry in England: Stoke-On-Trent. As the followers of this blog already know, this city is also called “the Potteries” because of the large numbers of “potbanks” (ceramics plants) created in this area from the 18th century.
If you are looking for the history of industrial ceramics, you have to go to the cradle of the industrial revolution. And if you’re looking for these ceramics in the UK, all roads lead to Stoke-On-Trent. The English call this city affectionately “The Potteries”, it may be obvious why.
In this area there has been made ceramics for thousands of years, as well as many other places on the island. However, with the industrial revolution from about 1750, Stoke-On-Trent grew to become the first ceramic industry. That makes this place and its ceramics history unique in the world.
Curious what to visit in Stoke-On-Trent? We went by bike to research on the spot. ..
No not “anarchy in the U.K.“, but ceramics in the United Kingdom is the subject of this blog. But this immortal number of the Sex Pistols was the first thing that flashed through my head when I was thinking about a title of this piece. And not only the music from England is unique.
British ceramics have their own sound, unique like the punk from the eighties, but in earthenware, stoneware or porcelain. It is also the place where Bernard Leach released his “a potters book” in the fourties. Kingdom where Wedgwood completely innovated crockery in design and production from the 18th century. Island where bone china was invented, the Toby jug and the “Great Pottery Throw Down“.