Fantastic Tales, which took place in 2014, was a Danish-British contemporary ceramics exchange. The project came about after Kay Aplin undertook a residency at Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Centre in Denmark in summer 2013. Following a further residency in spring 2014, Kay created a new body of work, Botanical Structures, which she exhibited at The Ceramic House, the Regency Townhouse, Brighton and at the Danish Biennial, European Ceramic Context 2014. This artwork, created in Denmark, set the context and formed the focal point for an exhibition of Danish Contemporary Ceramics at The Ceramic House in May 2014.
The Fantastic Tales: Danish Contemporary Ceramics show, in May 2014, was the first themed exhibition at The Ceramic House, featuring a cross-spectrum of art forms – sculpture, installation, performance, tableware and wall pieces – by sixteen internationally renowned Danish ceramicists. A highlight of the exhibition was a performance installation by Christin Johansson. See film below.
Funded by Arts Council England and supported by the Embassy of Denmark, additionally the University of Brighton hosted a programme of talks by selected Danish ceramists to accompany the exhibition.
Read Kay’s dedicated blog about the project on the a-n artists’ blog platform: www.a-n.co.uk/link/KayAplin-Denmark
A film about the exhibition at The Ceramic House
Christin Johansson created an extraordinary installation in the basement at The Ceramic House called Ceremony of her Porcelain Spirit, a one-to-one participatory performance whereby visitors were invited to enter the space individually.
Regency Townhouse
Botanical Structures II, an installation by Kay Aplin for the Brighton Festival 2014
Oxidised porcelain
2 x 1.2m
European Ceramic Context 2014
Botanical Structures IV, an installation by Kay Aplin for European Ceramic Context 2014
Rønne Library, Bornholm, Denmark
Soda wood fired and oxidised porcelain
7m x 0.7m
Fantastic Tales: Danish Contemporary Ceramics
Exhibition photographs by Sylvain Deleu
