Strange Clay: Edmund de Waal on the power of clay as a medium for creativity
Edmund de Waal is an artist, master potter and author known for his large-scale installations of porcelain vessels
Among the artist’s major installations on permanent display are Signs & Wonders (2009) at the V&A Museum, London; an idea (for the journey) (2013) at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; and a local history (2012) at the University of Cambridge.
De Waal is one of 23 international artists whose work appeared in the 2022 Hayward Gallery exhibition, Strange Clay: Ceramics in Contemporary Art.
In this video De Waal introduces us to his studio – and his dog – and explains how the space offers him a base for exploration. The artist also goes on to explain his passion for encouraging children to work and experiment with clay, and enthuses on the benefits of the medium for creativity and play. He also talks about the connectivity of clay as a medium, owing to its need to be shaped through physical touch.
‘I’m very, very passionate about getting kids connected to clay because it’s an extraordinary and powerful medium; it’s an extraordinary place for exploration’
Edmund de Waal
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