James Bloomfield and Darwen Terracotta –
"Of heart and hand" - Blackburn Cathedral
A
pink slip cast craftsperson’s toolbox alongside eight, monumental sculptural columns provides a
poignant and powerful symbol of the camaraderie, trust and friendship of
workers at Darwen Terracotta, a company resurrected by employees facing
redundancy. Artist, James Bloomfield ‘walked the floor’ to research the breadth
of techniques used across the now successful, specialist architectural
terracotta and faience business and noted the
individualism evident at personal ‘maker stations’ and workbenches,
whether the tools being used for that specialism or personal artefacts. In a
celebration of the craftsperson’s hand, these functional items have been
individually cast to elevate them to objects of designated cultural value,
whether a pencil, a spray
gun or a sculpting knife. The sculptural cast of a glazed bright pink
toolbox alone presents an evocative, permanent document of the friendship of
two, inseparable female workers, with the cast objects exhibited at Blackburn
Cathedral’s Temple Gallery.
Outside
the Cathedral in a new public square, eight columns will reference many of the
company’s most successful projects, reaching up to 2
metres tall and bringing 32 people into the casting process. The
powerful structures, created using technology introduced at the company in
2010, but pioneered by Italian Ceramic Artist, Nino
Caruso in the 1970’s, inspire contemplation on Darwen Terracotta’s
history, a story of people rising together. For the artist, it is a story that
reflects Blackburn’s history of workforce rebellion and protest, evoking the
story of 1817 ‘Blanketeers March’ and their demands of rights for weavers
against mechanisation.
Photogrpahs courtesy of Richard Tymon http://richardtymon.com/http://richardtymon.com/
