19/05/2026
During this months support meet up at our Hastings venue, we will be joined by local artist Emma Harding who will be hosting a ceramics workshop making memory vessels.
We have 8 spaces available, if you would like to join the workshop please let’s us know as soon as possible so we can get you booked in.
If you just want to attend the support group then please do just come along as usual.
Emma Harding’s work is often about mortality and memory. She works with wild or reclaimed clay when possible, modelling by hand and creating texture and interest using the sagger-firing process with natural materials.
For the Memory Vessels workshop, Emma makes the hand-sized vessels, coats them with a fine slip called “terra sigillata” and bisque fires them at a low temperature. They are like unfinished seed pods at this stage.
During the workshop we discuss the process, how we will wrap up the vessel with natural materials, like sea w**d, banana skins and copper wire - Emma will then take them away to fire them again in a saggar with more combustible materials. In this process the saggar contains the little fire and protects the kiln.
Before we wrap the vessels participants have an opportunity to write a message or a memory with oak gall ink on hand made paper. The paper is put inside the vessel and will burn up in the saggar firing.
Emma will then describe all the possible effects which may be obtained by using the materials provided to wrap the vessel, demonstrating and showing examples. One of the exciting things about this process is that the outcomes are always unpredictable and surprising!
The vessels look really beautiful when they are wrapped and bound up with natural raffia. We can take photos of them in your hands at this stage.
Emma will take the vessels to place in the saggar, and will arrange to return them fired and tied together with hand-made twine. They can then be used to contain precious memories or items which will remain enclosed in the vessel.
There are many images of vessels and the process on Emma’s Instagram
💙🩷💙🩷💙🩷
