The Firing Line

DANNY CALLAGHAN | ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE

An Arts Council England ‘Developing Your Creative Practice’ grant has enabled me to undertake a unique research & development opportunity working in partnership with The Firing Line; a traditional ceramic tile manufacturer based in Stoke-on-Trent. This valuable & timely investment supports me as de facto artist-in-residence at the Stoke-on-Trent based tile works during a 6 month period (January - June 2020). The residency provides a timely focus & structure for creative collaboration but the primary focus is my own artistic development & future practice; in particular my work focussed on tiles, art mosaic & architectural ceramics.

The Firing Line manufactures high quality ceramic tiles using traditional skills & 100 year old cast iron ‘dust presses’. Its main business is once fired bisque tiles for artists, designers & other commercial companies to decorate. The company is based at Winkhill Mill; an early 1900s factory building near Stoke Town Centre which was built on the site of one of Minton Hollins’ historical tile works (Cliff Bank Works).

The residency has offered a valuable opportunity to review my existing activities & explore a variety of new interests & directions in relation to working with ceramics. I have been able to work in close contact with tile makers Richard & Steve Wilshaw which has helped me to understand, deconstruct & ‘disrupt’ traditional production methods & thinking. I have developed a range of new creative & technical skills through informal but structured ‘learning by doing’. These activities will culminate in a collection of ceramic products, experimental samples & tests. A selection of these productions will form the basis for a future ‘window display’ at Winkhill Mill which can be safely viewed from Swan Street, Stoke-on-Trent. This R&D residency has helped to re-focus & re-ignite my creative practice as an artist & more specifically as an artist who works with tiles, art mosaic & architectural ceramics. It already feels like a hugely important investment that will influence & support my future artistic practice for years to come.

I have worked in a wide range of professional arts, creative heritage & cultural industries roles for more than 25 years. I have been employed & commissioned by organisations in the public, voluntary & private sectors. I have worked as an artist, researcher & project facilitator. I am Founder & Co-Director of Ceramic City Stories C.I.C. Often working within the context of regeneration or development initiatives; key themes in my work include: identity, place & local distinctiveness. My own creative practice has also been varied; from site & context specific public art (eg etched steel, engraved concrete) to street art campaigns (eg paper cuts/décollage & guerrilla ceramics). 

I grew up in The Potteries; I am passionate about the city’s cultural & economic renewal. I believe Stoke-on-Trent’s unique historic ceramic industry & its truly global legacy provides an essential & powerful driver for renewal & future growth. My specific passions are tiles, art mosaic & architectural ceramics.

‘This exciting collaboration has enabled me to concentrate on & develop my own studio practice. I have worked in close contact with tile makers Richard & Steve Wilshaw to understand, deconstruct & disrupt traditional production methods & thinking. I have developed a range of new creative & technical skills through informal but structured ‘learning by doing’. This activity will culminate in a collection of new ceramic products, tests & experimental samples. A selection will also form the basis for a future ‘window display’ at Winkhill Mill which can be viewed safely from Swan Street, Stoke-on-Trent.’

— Danny Callaghan

For more information: www.ceramiccitystories.info (Web) or @PotteriesTiles (Twitter)