The Bartlett Kiosk: Pillows – Botanising on The Asphalt

Pillows – Botanising on The Asphalt

by Alice Foxen

This exhibition takes its title from the writing of philosopher and critic Walter Benjamin. He studied the form and character of the street, marvelling at the beauty of the everyday. He called this way of looking, ‘Botanising on the asphalt’.

"A bag of earth came to the workshop one day. It was from the site of the now cancelled HS2 railway project at Euston Station. I filtered the clay from the earth and developed a clay body and a glaze blend. The Euston Road Pillow is the result of this material research. This project has taught me a more sustainable way to work with clay so that I might teach others." – Alice Foxen

This exhibition is part of The Bartlett Kiosk series showcasing B-made makers.

Alice Foxen is the Ceramics and Casting Technician in B-made, having joined The Bartlett in 2022. Alice’s work creates a personal connection to public space through many processes and material tests. She has an MA in Ceramics and Glass from the Royal College of Art and her work in clay has taken her to residencies at the International Ceramic Research Centre in Denmark and The Vermont Studio Centre in the USA. Her work has been shown at the British Ceramics Biennale and most recently at the European Ceramic Context triennial.

Image: Alice Foxen