In plain sight, I – III: C.1.1-23-2014

Titles

in plain sight, I – III

Maker(s)

Potter: Waal, Edmund de

Entities

• Ceramic assemblage
• Ceramic installation

Categories

• Porcelain
• Hard-paste porcelain
• Studio Ceramics

Description

20 porcelain vessels in three aluminium, glass and plexiglass vitrines.

The vessels are thrown, with straight sides and flat bases. They are small, less than a thumb’s depth and little more than a thumb’s diameter. Some are smooth, but most are slightly ridged or have slight shape to the surface; the thickness of the walls varies. The clay and/or glaze has been varied such that the colour of the vessels ranges from creamy white to pearl-ware white; some vessels are shiny, some have a matt glaze; two are unglazed. The vitrines are rectangular with thick white frames and are open at the bottom. The vessels within each vitrine are grouped in twos, threes or fours in a single line; vitrines I and III contain seven vessels each, vitrine II only six.

Notes

History note: The artist

Legal notes

Given by Edmund de Waal

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (2014) by Waal, Edmund de

Dating

21st Century, Early
Elizabeth II
Production date: AD 2013

Note

Edmund de Waal (1964 - ) studied English at Trinity Hall, Cambridge and ceramics in both England and Japan. He is best known for his large scale installations, which have been exhibited around the world. Much of his recent work concerns collections and collecting – how objects are kept together, lost, stolen or dispersed. Edmund de Waal’s interests span minimalism, architecture, music and literature; he has published several books on ceramics and a family memoir, ‘The Hare with Amber Eyes’, which has been translated into some 30 languages. In 2011 he was awarded an OBE for services to art.

This is a unique, site-specific installation made for display in a Georgian display cabinet, as part of ‘On White: Porcelain Stories from the Fitzwilliam Museum’, November 2013 – February 2014, in which Edmund de Waal made installations of his porcelain ‘talk softly with’ porcelain from the Fitzwilliam collection. In the exhibition brochure, he explains: 'The essence of porcelain is its whiteness. But white is not a singular colour, it is a possibility. White in China means clouds and mist, egrets, paper … mourning. Here is a compendium of whites … .’. On this piece he writes: ‘There is a real pleasure in hiding things; it allows for serendipitous, unconnected and unexpected encounters to happen, for discoveries away from your favourite known paths and places. … Somewhere nearby is a group of three small, white vitrines tucked away, each with six or seven modest pots. It is called in plain sight.'