Globally, ceramics and glass are in a state of flux, and the Ceramics & Glass Department is at the forefront in developing new relevancies and paradigms of production. Through rigorous, practical research and an understanding of different contexts, traditions and histories, we seek to challenge the materials we use and develop new ways of working them.
Our media are ubiquitous. They are among mankind’s oldest synthesised materials and are present in almost all aspects of our daily lives; from sanitation to tableware, art to hip replacements, bricks to windows, etc. Ceramics & Glass at the RCA, however, is not simply a fixed set of media, but a site for discursive practice, where cultural, social, personal, historical and aesthetic concerns intersect. What underpins this is our belief that our activity is rooted in its being an Applied Art. It is in this ‘application’ of process, skills, material understanding and the development of ideas through making that sets us apart.
We focus on notions of use in its widest sense – the place that our work has in the world – Why is it important? Who is it for? What does it do? Can it be different? We aim to challenge and question preconceptions, and suggest or propose alternative scenarios.
Through all this, we seek ways to identify and create opportunities for students to exploit their talent across a wide range of activities and develop practices as makers of one-off objects, designer/makers of batch produced products, artists working to public/private commission and creative thinkers able to engage with a globalised industry.
Download a PDF version of the Ceramics & Glass Department Handbook.
A copy of the full RCA Handbook and Regulations 2009 is available here.
Open Days for 2011/12 applicants will be held in autumn 2010 and spring 2011. Please check back in early autumn for full details.