Well, this really is a constantly moving feast – one step forward, two steps back as we come across aspects we hadn’t thought of but inch by inch we are getting there, and it is certainly exciting as the realisation of our project gets closer and closer.
We had a meeting with the Green Estates team with Mir Jansen from Yorkshire Artspace, Sue France, CEO Green Estate, Peter Machan who has an education brief and Chris Reece in charge of events. The programme for the year is beginning to shape up and we have agreed to time firing in line with major events at Green Estate. We have also agreed that the building next to the kiln will be a dedicated Ceramics Studio and as such needs to be kitted out, although this and the adjacent room will remain shared use. Penny and I will take on the role of tutor within Green Estate’s Care programme as well as devising and running our own courses, the first of which will be a kiln building course at the end of March (details to follow). In addition we will need to apply for funding as currrently we do not have sufficient funds to equip the studio and build the kiln so this is rather urgent!
At the same time we are awaiting the results of Rob the Structural Engineer’s report on the feasibility of building such a high chimney and how we can ensure its safety and durability. He seemed very positive at the meeting we had just before Christmas but with holidays and such we have had no further word. Fingers crossed he comes up with a solution.
Meanwhile we have invited a group of Hungarian ceramicists – CERATIVE- to come visit us and help us build the kiln. They were on the course in Hungary with me and were keen enthusiastic and capable workers so it will be a real bonus to have them on board. They have responded very positively and are also hoping that we might visit them in Budapest in the summer. Hopefully we can make the NAN Bursary stretch that far. This feels like a really exciting way forward with the bursary after our initial set-back. I was impressed with the arts scene in Hungary and think an ongoing exchange could be very very fruitful. There are differences of approach – for instance there seems to be much more ceramic “design” and architectural work in Hungary than here and on the other hand, they have very little concept of working with the community through the arts. In addition art education seems quite different – very structured and at a high level in specialist state schools which are astonishingly well equipped as compared with the parlous state of art education at school level in this country. I am really keen to find out more about this.
Their group has only recently set themselves up as a studio-based practice – members are recent graduates based in Budapest. You can find out more about them at http://www.cerativegroup.blogspot.com although you might have to hone up on your Hungarian in order to understand this!
So plenty to do – write some funding applications, do up the studio and furnish it with workbenches, wheels, and hopefully a kiln, start thinking about purchasing materials for the kiln-build, start storing wood, continue liaising with our Hungarian friends, and recruit for the kiln-building course! And make some pots. Not long to go really if its the end of March. Ah well, plenty to keep us on our toes.
On November 30th Sarah and I had a meeting with Andy Sheppard, Head of the building team. He had predicted the reservations expressed by the metal worker over the height of the chimney and suggested that the footings for the kiln should be a minimum of 1 cubic metre of concrete. This is something we will have to clear with Green Estates as a matter of safety and insurance.
Andy was extremely helpful in his experienced assessment of every stage of the kiln building. He is confident that we will be able to save money by using normal bricks for some of the arches instead of tapered bricks, also by replacing some of the brick section of chimney with a longer metal section.
We did a breakdown of the kiln building; what we could reasonably hope to achieve in a day. Andy indicated that if we could wait until the Spring it may be possible to co ordinate an intensive week-long building programme instead of single days here and there. Although this would put back the realisation of our project once more, it does mean that we could possibly run the event as an educational course on similar lines to the one at Keshcemet.
This was a productive meeting and we now have several questions, which we need answered at next weeks programming meeting.
During October, we had freed up time for kiln building but as the decision to house the kiln outside the stable block had been taken we had to wait for the builders to complete their restoration of the roof. This proved to be an interesting project for those builders who were taking NVQ qualifications. Part of their brief was that they work on unusual structures (in which case the kiln is an ideal project); however, because of the curve in the roof the tiling had became a very intricate pattern and enough to keep them busy.
While we waited we did some research into the sourcing and cost of materials. We found that the cost of the bricks alone would eat up the funds available and came up against another problem when approaching a metalworker that was to make the ironwork frame. He queried the height of the chimney and refused to give any estimates until a structural engineer approved our plans. Apparently building regulations here are much stricter than those in Hungary.
November flew past with fairs and selling events. I took part in a wood firing at Sue Mulroy’s kiln in Derbyshire and Sarah joined the Sherwood wood firers group at Thoresby, Notts to fire her work. We were both pleased with the demand for our work at the Yorkshire Artspace Open Studios and made some good sales.
Meeting 3rd October
Penny and I met with Sue France and the building team. After all the to-ing and fro-ing that has been going on, this was the most promising meeting so far. We have a new site for the kiln – next to the cottage where it was due to be built on a space that looks out across a field and over Sheffield – whilst it is quite exposed to the wind, we felt that we may be able to use this to our advantage when firing. The siting means the kiln will be outside but not on the main public thoroughfare but accessible nevertheless. The best news really is that this means we can stick as near as dammit to the Kesckemet design, which is tried and tested and I know it works!!
Not only that however, but also we have now gained a dedicated studio/workspace for pottery in the old cottage that was originally allocated to house the kiln. This is superb news as it means we will be able to run workshops on site – previously we were envisaging having to move between sites – ie where my studio is at Persistence Works, and the kiln site.
Work is moving on apace with the buildings on the site – the building team wish to complete the new roof and various other chores before tackling the kiln, but expect to be finished within three weeks. We have been allocated some project managers who are studying for their NVQ Level 3 and will be meeting with them soon to go through the design for the kiln with a fine tooth comb. We are still experiencing some misunderstanding as regards technical language from the two different areas of specialisms – ie the building trade and ceramics kiln construction! We need to make sure we are all speaking the same language and not blinding each other with specialist language! Penny and I have research to do to cost up materials and make sure we understand all the steps of the process and will be doing that over the next few weeks.
We will then be drawing up a schedule for the building of the kiln, breaking it down into stages, as the likelihood is that the building will take place one day at a time over a month or two, rather than a solid block of time. How this will work over the winter months we can’t be sure – especially with the recent forecast of a snowy winter! We will be looking to involve members of the public – groups that already visit and are involved with Green Estate as well as other amateur and professional potters. It is envisaged also that at this stage the rest of the Yorkshire Artspace potters will become more involved as well.
Meanwhile, I will be joining the Thoresby wood-firing group, which is also an offshoot of the extinct Rufford Wood-firing society, in order to carry on developing my wood-firing expertise.
Since our last meeting with Green Estate (see previous blog entry) Penny emailed Mike and Andy a more detailed diagram of removable bricks at the base of the flue and slots for dampers in the chimney base. She also visited Andy onsite to see how the roof was progressing. It seemed that nothing had been decided about the chimney at that point. It was therefore no surprise to hear from Sue early the following week that as no ideal way of incorporating the chimney into the roof had been found in time to fit in with their building plan we would have to consider another option. She therefore suggested Plan B, which is to house the kiln independently, outside the existing buildings. Sarah and Penny welcomed this suggestion because it would mean that the kiln could be built to the Kesckemet design without compromises being made. In addition concerns over adequate ventilation inside the stable block would no longer be an issue. It also meant that time pressure had been relaxed. We no longer see the kiln being built in time for the Open Studios in November and will have to rearrange our timetable. We will be meeting with Sue to discuss Plan B on Monday 31 September.
We have had a major set back to our project concerning our partner organisation. It no longer seems likely that the Woodfiring group at Denbigh are going to fire their kiln in the foreseeable future. We understand that modifications have been made to their kiln, which have resulted in its firing efficiency being compromised. We are currently making urgent enquiries through the networks that Sarah made in Hungary to find another partner and put together a new proposal.
