Quietus

Julian Stair

Just back from a great day out in Stoke at the British Ceramics Biennal exhibitions. A great use of empty industrial space (the sadly closed Spode factory in the city centre) and a huge variety of style and design.

I'm still going through the shots now, but this one caught my eye (both when I shot it and again in Lightroom). I loved the shapes and positioning of the pieces here. These are cinerary jars - designed to house the body's ashes after cremation. Its macabre subject matter, I guess, but when you walk round the museum seeing pots that are thousands of years old, I think there is a reference to the transience of human life and the permanence of something inert like ceramic.

There will be more on flickr and my website later.