January Noons with Josephine Callaghan

About

'We built a monster here. Twists of smoke are slipping through the cracks, cuts slapped closed with wet mud. 6 hours worth of dry branches and sticks laid out for stoking, through this tunnel running deep into the mound. It’s hard to locate anything after dark, a navy valley where dogs bark the distances, the air ringing with toads. In the last hour, the smoke sparks, followed by flames running 8 foot up into the night. Clear indication that the clay has changed state, all is now fixed.'

‘January Noons’ is drawn from Josephine Callaghan’s research into reduction processes, performance kilns and self-firing sculptures. It expands on a series of outdoor firing experiments leading afternoon workshops with participants from London Environmental Educators' Forum (LEEF) and Women's Environmental Network (WEN) , using brick and clay to make sculpture, constructing an experimental kiln in Cell’s carpark. 

The fluid materiality of our present exhibition ‘Gullet’ is a starting point for this project. The workshops will culminate in an open public firing event on 21st January from 6pm at Cell Project Space. You are invited to join us for the final moments of firing as the ware undergoes the unpredictable process of combustion wherein heat arrests a cyclical return to mud. Hosted by WEN and LEEF, the event will continue into the evening and food which has been cooked over the kiln will be served. 

Josephine Callaghan lives and works in London and exhibited her solo exhibition ‘Fiats chasing arcs…’ at All Welcome, Vilnius in 2016. She recently exhibited in ‘THE LANDSCAPE’ at Cubitt Gallery, with Sarah Cameron curated by Helen Nisbet, London, (2017) ‘The Dark Ages’ at Supplement Gallery, London (2017) and ‘Lacuna’ for Margate Coastal Parks (2016). Her collaboration ACTIVE BANK includes events such as ‘Face me’, a ceramic and sculpture workshop with Victoria Square Project and ‘FOURNOS’ a project with residents of Eleonas Refugee Camp, Athens. 

Part of Schema, a series of public programme commissions generously supported by Arts Council England