Celebrating Craft

The Bluecoat Display Centre presents new displays including ceramics by Attila Olah, Emma Rodgers and Jacob Chan, glass by Verity Pulford, mixed media by Michael Brennand-Wood, metalwork by Ruth Ball and wood by Hugh Miller. Many of these maker’s work will also be shown in new displays in the Craft and Design Gallery at the Walker Art Gallery and the Williamson Art Gallery and Museum throughout 2021.

You can join Samantha Rhodes – Director of the Bluecoat Display Centre – in conversation with exhibiting artists, online on LightNight:

Attila Olah in conversation

For LightNight 2021, Samantha Rhodes continues her series of recorded conversations with local makers from their studios. Attila Olah is a local ceramicist whose work explores the power of the vessel: over thousands of years, through association with birth, nourishment, ritual, celebration and death, the vessel has become deeply rooted in the human psyche. He runs Altar Pottery, a progressive ceramics studio based in John Archer Hall, Toxteth. Watch Attila’s short film, ‘Ice Motion’, here.

Jacob Chan in conversation

For LightNight 2021, Samantha Rhodes continues her series of recorded conversations with local makers from their studios. Jacob Chan is a local emerging ceramicist. His work is heavily based around his cultural background and heritage. Being half Chinese and half English his ceramics take inspiration from traditional Chinese shapes and forms, whilst the surfaces are heavily decorated in slips and oxides that contain other raw materials such as sand, slate and broken pottery collected from around the coastlines and mountain ranges of Britain. Jacob was a finalist in the 2019 series of the Great Pottery Throw-down on Channel 4.

Emma Rhodes in conversation

For LightNight 2021, Samantha Rhodes continues her series of recorded conversations with local makers from their studios. Emma Rodgers is a local ceramic artist who creates sculptural works which explore “confrontation, energy, curiosity [and the] essence of a moment” and are indicative of the very nature of the animals she depicts. Recently Emma has started to experiment with bronze, as she feels clay can not sustain the demands of some of her ideas in terms of strength and durability.

Age guidance: Young children should be accompanied by an adult

No booking required, but please note all LightNight venues have limited capacities and you may need to queue to help us adhere to safety guidelines. Read more

Closed captions are available for this event. If you require captions please view the work through Google Chrome web browser, and enable them via the Settings tab. Google Chrome can be downloaded here.