In this interview, explore the nuanced layers of socio-economic symbolism with artist ⁠Lucy Waters ⁠as she reveals the stories embedded within her ceramic creations.

Artist statement

My practice involves researching and examining the socio-economic scope of the Northeast of England and making work in response to my findings. The hand painted, charity shop bought pieces, are a playful but out of kilter, nod to traditional blue ceramics, featuring my family home in Newcastle, as a reoccurring motif. They go on to mock but also highlight the ridiculousness of such socio-economically derived, government esc speak. I have created an alternative, entirely floor-based, 115 pieces dinner set that within its installation addresses issues surrounding functionality vs decoration as well as challenging the value of such traditionally, recognisable objects and how we come to think of them, in relation to symbols of status, class and wealth.I create reinterpretations of familiar domestic objects, in order to challenge social constructs that have long been and can still be associated with particular types of domestic items. I play around with factors such as an objects functionality or how we attach certain aesthetic expectations to an object, in an attempt to disrupt their more commonly projected narratives. I approach this through a very particular, North-East based, socio-political lens. Taking influence from my own experiences, growing up in Newcastle but more crucially through research, and the current climate we find ourselves living within.

All images courtesy of Lucy Waters.