MA Ceramics students Amy Swift, Matt Whiting, Lily Collins, & Dr Jill Bunce have worked with local materials science consultancy Lucideon to incorporate a new ultra-high temperature ceramic material in the centenary ceremonial mace they have designed for Stoke-on-Trent.
This is the first time that a piece of this material at this scale has been produced in the UK. These types of materials are typically used in aerospace for the leading edges of hypersonic vehicles and re-entry spacecraft due to their thermal stability.
MA Ceramics student Amy Swift, 32, discussed how using a local company with a future-facing material speaks to the heritage and innovation of the city. “The inclusion of this experimental material and a company focused wholly on the future of ceramics has meant that the mace now represents the past, present and future of ceramics in this city. We have allowed them to lead the way on telling us what was possible as this was not an area any of us felt we had enough knowledge with to take charge. However, working closely with my team we came to the decision of the central 'bowl' in the design, a space cushioned either side by the past.”
The opportunity to design the Stoke-on-Trent mace (sponsored by Ceramics UK) was born from The Fenton Mace project previously undertaken by both undergraduate and postgraduate students at University of Staffordshire and facilitated by Professor Neil Brownsword. The team of creatives from the MA Ceramics course have different specialties, and their design proposal was seen as something to champion the whole city.
Amy attributes this thoughtful design to considering how best to represent the local area.
“We focused on the people of Stoke-On-Trent as well as the industries that crafted the city into what it is today.
As the mace represents the city and its people, we felt it was important to include them in the design at every opportunity. I reached out the Scouts organisation and they in turn sent out the request to their troops for the children to hand draw a five-pointed star (a symbol that represents the five fingers of the working man) and decorate that star however they wish. These stars will be part of the decoration on the mace body itself, taking the future generations of Stoke-On-Trent with the mace's journey through time.”
Dr Jill Bunce, 76, a descendant of former artists that worked in the pottery industry, has worked with Lucideon on another project - researching new materials and the use of them in modern ceramics. She adds, “the Stoke mace design has been inspirational to work with as the team wanted to set the design in meaningful symbolism for the centenary and the geography and the history of Stoke and the industries which have formed the identity of Stoke on Trent . The team wanted to set the mace in a modern context of materials and to look to the future in concepts in the developing industries based on the ceramics industry and the artistry and knowledge within the ceramics industry.”
Matt Whiting, 32, who progressed onto MA Ceramics at University of Staffordshire following undergraduate study on BA (Hons) Product, Furniture, Ceramics, worked on the mace design and production with a combination of digital and traditional skills.
“My focus has been the surface pattern and digital aspects of the mace, as well as some of the practical elements such as glazing. A combination of CAD, Adobe, 3D printing, laser cutting, and digital ceramic prints were used for the creation and fabrication of the mace. It has been interesting to use these skills for a conception of a ceramic object as it’s very different to how I usually work as a maker. We’ve incorporated modern technologies and processes as well as more traditional ones into the design and making process of an object that represents the long history of ceramics in Stoke-on-Trent, and hopefully its bright future.”
In addition to working with a local Scout troop and Lucideon, the group of postgraduate Ceramics students have benefitted from generous contributions from a number of local companies for the additional materials incorporated into the design and the expert guidance of the University of Staffordshire technical team.
“C J Skelhorne is providing the precious metals for the design, we are currently figuring out the best way to incorporate the metals from a practical and cost-effective mindset. KMF provided the inner threaded core that forms the basis of the entire construction of the mace. Valentine Clays has provided the heritage Staffordshire Bone China that forms the most iconic and integral design aspect of the mace. Profab are constructing the steel, rebar stand that represents the heritage of the steel industry. Burleigh have provided ceramics we are able to use to supplement the historical shards we are using in the handle that represents the ceramic past and heritage,” Amy Swift. AJ Phillpot & Sons have provided oak for the stand upon which the steel and rebar sit.
The Stoke-on-Trent Centennial Mace will be sworn into regalia in November this year and used to close the centenary celebrations in December, before being housed with the rest of the city's regalia for the foreseeable future.