Market Estate (HC714)
Catalogue Record
Collection
Maker
Simeon Featherstone
Title
Market Estate
Date
2011
Materials and techniques
Bone China, enamel transfers, felted bases
Dimensions
length: 13.9cm
depth: 2.65cm
height: 8.8cm
Object number
HC714
Category
Maker's statement
The artwork consists of nine abstract ceramic forms representing the contextual history of the Market Estate site. The pieces are made of bone china to represent the cattle market once situated on the site. This is a fitting ceramic material to use, as a large constituent of bone china comes from the ashes of cattle.
The pieces are also cast from net curtains remaining in the flats prior to the demolition of the estate. These laced fabrics were cut and pasted onto the original plaster models before a plaster mould was cast from each piece. This offers a textural quality to the surface of the bone china and a memory of what they once were.
Once cast from the moulds, the pieces are finished to a high quality and fired at 1250c in which they become vitrified but also shrink by 17.5%. They then receive a transparent gloss glaze to enhance the colour and texture of the clay body.
Each piece has a different image transferred onto the surface once it is glazed. These are illustrations of the Market Estate in its various points in history. They are observations or images taken by myself, then drawn on a computer to be screenprinted onto special paper. These enamel transfers are then placed on the pieces and fired for a third time at a lower temperature than the gloss glaze. The enamel from the transfer soaks into the body of the glaze.
Finally, to protect the base from becoming damaged from use, each piece is coated with a felt lining. This allows for the frequent picking up and placing of the artwork when handled.
The pieces are also cast from net curtains remaining in the flats prior to the demolition of the estate. These laced fabrics were cut and pasted onto the original plaster models before a plaster mould was cast from each piece. This offers a textural quality to the surface of the bone china and a memory of what they once were.
Once cast from the moulds, the pieces are finished to a high quality and fired at 1250c in which they become vitrified but also shrink by 17.5%. They then receive a transparent gloss glaze to enhance the colour and texture of the clay body.
Each piece has a different image transferred onto the surface once it is glazed. These are illustrations of the Market Estate in its various points in history. They are observations or images taken by myself, then drawn on a computer to be screenprinted onto special paper. These enamel transfers are then placed on the pieces and fired for a third time at a lower temperature than the gloss glaze. The enamel from the transfer soaks into the body of the glaze.
Finally, to protect the base from becoming damaged from use, each piece is coated with a felt lining. This allows for the frequent picking up and placing of the artwork when handled.