Rod Bamford, Maree Bracker and Toni Warburton
Curated by Susan Ostiling, Place*Product, was an adventurous exploration into the history of the ceramics industry in the Ipwich area. Contemporary modes of art practice were engaged in order to assist in this historical investigation. For the duration of the show, a range of ceramic objects made locally between 1890 and 1950 was displayed in the gallery. In addition, three artists, Rod Bamford, Maree Bracker and Toni Warburton developed works on site using bricks and pavers donated by local industry. Conceptually, this exhibition ambled around, presenting a diverse collection of ceramic objects and a range of modes of practice – both old and new; both permanent and temporal.
The photographs one encountered upon entering the gallery acted as a metaphor from the whole show. These images, produced between 1899 to 1991, depicted various locations and aspects of ceramic production in the Ipswich area. There were not hung chronologically, rather pictures of the past were alternated with more contemporary images. Some focused on places – work sites and production – others on the please involved. The objects displayed acted as fragments of past local production. Included were commercially produced brocks, electric jugs, jardinières, bowls, vases and figurines. A number of worker’s pieces were also exhibited. These objects, often small in scale, were not made to sell, but for pleasure, or as gifts, or were used to experiment with moulds and glazes.
Each of the three contemporary artists involved was invited to develop work on site using bricks and pavers, both fired and unfired. Aside from the space within the gallery, that artists has access to an outside enclosure in which to develop the work. Rob Bamford, the first artist to