Crafting Identities: Making And Unmaking Heritage

This talk is the third in our special collaboration with the British School at Athens.

Join us as archaeologists and potters come together to examine the intricate relationship between material culture and identity formation throughout history. How did ceramics define cultures from central America to classical civilisation to east Asia? And how do modern makers handle that heavy heritage? From the scientific study of ancient ceramic artefacts to the creation of contemporary ceramic works, our panellists will offer diverse perspectives on how objects both shape and reflect individual and collective identities.

Event Description:

Join us as archaeologists and potters come together to examine the intricate relationship between material culture and identity formation throughout history. From the scientific study of ancient ceramic artefacts to the creation of contemporary ceramic works, our panellists will offer diverse perspectives on how objects both shape and reflect individual and collective identities.

Evangelia Kiriatzi
Evangelia Kiriatzi is an archaeological scientist who focuses on the study of technology in pre-industrial societies, with emphasis on ceramics and the study of technological landscapes, though the integrated application of scientific techniques, in combination with landscape resources prospection, replication experiments and ethnoarchaeology. Evangelia is the Director of the Fitch Laboratory, British School at Athens.

Melina Xenaki
Melina Xenaki is a London/Athens based ceramics artist. After  completing her BA with first class in Ceramics & Glass (UCA, Farnham) the maker moved to London to complete her two year Masters Degree at  the Royal College of Art where she was taught by Martin Smith, Felicity Aylieff and Alison Britton  (2012-2014). Since her graduation she has been a full-time ceramics artist and educator. She has collaborated with architecture practices, such as OOAK architects, Kokosalaki architecture and Kois Associated architects, to  create unique ceramic objects and installations responding to the peculiarities of  each site. She has created exclusive collections for the shops of the  British Museum and of the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture.

Daniel Chau
Yu Shing Daniel Chau obtained a BA (Ceramics) from Royal Melbourne Information Technology University (co-presented with Hong Kong Art School) in 2007. He has a strong affinity for using throwing as the start of his creative process and is particularly fascinated by the patterns and ongoing variations that emerge during this stage. The unique traces left on the ceramics evoke for him a sense of a path paved with the sedimentation of memory. Daniel likes to erase these unique tracks gently, then re-establish a new timeline through carving, to the point that he even unveils his obsession with craftsmanship. He finds this sort of gradual evolution an exclusive experience for him.

Both Daniel and Melina are exhibiting at CAL 2024 so be sure to view their stands.