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Architectural Terracotta: An Exploration of Transatlantic Opportunity
I’m pleased to share the findings of my 2011 Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship! I spent 2 months in the USA studying architectural terracotta, historical and contemporary uses in comparison with the UK. Please follow this link to read an online copy of my Report. The report details my findings and experiences in meeting the manufacturers … Read more
The Great British Seaside
Keen to explore and to glimpse the difficulties of a town built on pleasure during the ‘off season’, off I ventured with my terracotta hitlist. I found perhaps one of the most uplifting experiences I have had: and perhaps one of the most depressing too: This dichotomy will perhaps be my lasting memory of … Read more
Winston Churchill Fellowship Report
Amy Smith 2011: Winston Churchill Travelling Fellow . Architectural Terracotta: An Exploration of Transatlantic Opportunity . Click HERE for Report .
Beautiful Brutalism in Sacramento
My creative self has been tapped into this month as I moved, finally, into a newly evolving workshop space. I’ve been ‘in storage’ for several months while travelling and working on academic projects. It is interesting how the realisation of this space and access to my workshop, tools and clay once again has gradually unleashed … Read more
Cheers 2011
As we settle into a new year spend a moment to enjoy
Pressing the Natural History Museum Beasts
I passed the Natural History Museum recently and, once again, was struck by its confident decorative grandeur. Whilst aware of the massive size of the animal characters that sit every few metres along the roofline; some peering down at us, some gazing dismissively off to the distance; I also enjoy the scale of the building, allowing … Read more
On site at 188 Randolph, Chicago
Randolph Tower in the Loop, Chicago, is undergoing the largest ever removal and replacement of terracotta. Mark Kuberski, Central Building and Preservation, the Contractors on this almighty project, was kind enough to give me the grand tour of this 45 storey skyscraper. With hard hats donned, we made our way to the site office, where … Read more
Brighton and Hove enforce maintenance
Brighton & Hove have served a Section 215 enforcement notice on the historic Medina Bath House on Hove’s seafront. The owners have six months from 1 November to: wash down and repaint the southern and western elevations; remove the breeze blocks from the window openings reinstate windows and glazing; repair and make good all the … Read more
Weekend of terracotta wonder
Having set the scene for the findings of my Winston Churchill Fellowship in my presentation to Exporting Stoke Conference on Saturday, my mind is abuzz with plans for collaboration, industry meets arts and the possibilities for the future of terracotta in contemporary architecture. The Conference was absorbing and thought provoking; exploring cultural shifts in export, tiles … Read more
The promise of a tomorrow for Medina Bath House
In light of this weeks dismissal of plans to demolish Medina Bath House, let’s enjoy Medina Bath House and its delightful history and place on Hove seafront: Nestled in between rows of crouched cottages, the scale and decoration of Medina Bath House stands proud and confident, unabashed by its pebbledash exterior and additions of thoughtful graffiti. … Read more
