Carly Breame, MA Material Futures student at Central Saint Martins, was selected for the AER residency at Mahler & Lewitt Studios, Italy, and reports back to the Post-Grad Community.

Set up by Professor Lucy Orta UAL Chair of Art for the Environment - Centre for Sustainable Fashion in 2015, The Art for the Environment International Artist Residency Programme (AER) provides UAL graduates with the exceptional opportunity to apply for short residencies at one of our internationally renowned host institutions, to explore concerns that define the 21st century – biodiversity, environmental sustainability, social economy, and human rights.

Carly's Report

Introduction

Materia is a multidisciplinary programme, organised by the Mahler & LeWitt Studios, mapping and exploring  material histories and their impact on cultural production and the environment in Valle Umbra. Through the programme I set out to explore the question ‘how can the dining table represent the material culture of Spoleto and the surrounding region’. I aimed to make visible the supply chains involved in producing ceramics and find alternative material solutions, with a lower environmental impact for their production.

A journey to the green heart

Travelling to Valle Umbra I took an 18-hour train journey starting at Kings Cross, London. I boarded the Eurostar to Paris, took a short lunch break in Paris then boarded the next train to Turin. The journey from here was like no other, the high-speed train approached Lyon in no time at all, descending through the spectacular alpine scenery towards Turin. After a quick stretch of the legs, I boarded the next train from Turin to Rome for the final leg of the journey where I arrived shortly after midnight. Before heading to Spoleto, I took a few days to adjust to the Italian lifestyle and visit Rome. It was peak summer holidays, those two weeks where Italy stands still, and everyone escapes to the coast.  It was the perfect time to wander the streets without the hustle and bustle, soak in the atmosphere and consume as much cacio e pepe as possible. From here, I took a two hour train to Spoleto and arrived at the station with a warm welcome by the local curator Tommaso and other residents. I’d finally arrived.

During the first days of the residency, I delved into the collection of ceramic books at the Mahler & LeWitt studios, researched the geology of the region for clay deposits and examined the land use. I dined in the local cafes and restaurants, soaking up more local cuisine and culture. I wanted to embrace the full experience in Spoleto, which meant switching from the usual vegetarian diet to a meat fuelled one, a constant stream of espressos and learning the importance of hand gestures. I learnt about the infamous sagras where people celebrate varieties of aubergines and black celery, where live animals, such as sheep and goats are prizes. I was in awe of this place already.

I had anticipated a slower pace of life in Spoleto, a mountainside village where I’d take long walks and have a solitary practice. I quickly realised the opposite was true. The bustling streets, cobbled steep passages and a strong creative energy from the mountains spills into Spoleto. I learnt the region of Umbria is known as the green heart of Italy, and I could see why.

Dining in Spoleto

It goes without saying that Italy is known for its food. It unites the community with the land, the agricultural practices with the food cultures. It was for this reason that I centred the project around the dining table. Exploring what it means to dine in Spoleto and how this can feed an environmentally focused ceramic practice. When dining, you are made aware of who made the pasta, where the cheese comes from and in which vineyard the wine is produced (always locally) . Although, originally, I had planned to work closely with a restaurant and continue my ‘off the menu’ project, I found that a truer reflection of the dining experience required an engagement in the wider supply chain / system of production. Subsequently, the project developed to engage more broadly with the materials that comprise the Valle Umbra, and less so on the experience of a single restaurant — aligning with the ambitions of the Materia project.

Sourcing materials

In the days that followed, I set off to explore the Valle Umbra. I visited Deruta and its ceramic museum, met with local master potter Fabio Veschini, as well as his sister and mother who decorate ceramics, and I visited a collection of clay sourcing sites, from riverbeds, to landslides. Each day I learnt more about the landscape and the environment that defined it.

I continued to source clay samples from locations around Spoleto and was provided access to a quarry in Marsciano that produces roof tiles on-site. The sheer scale of the quarry drew attention to the environmental impact that the extraction of materials, such as clay, have on the landscape, particularly when processed as products for our built environment. Developing knowledge on the supply chains and tracing their extraction is at the heart of this project, and documenting the origin was important to communicate the transparency and responsibility to materials.

After sourcing roughly eight different clay samples I labelled, mapped, filtered, and conducted firing tests. Each had a different hue but mainly a warm red tone united the clay samples. I processed more clay to make the next round of tests, this time using only the clay from the quarry in Marsciano as the scale of extraction resonated the most with the Materia programme.

Besides the use of clay, I wanted to source materials that derived from the soil. In Valle Umbra, fertile land is predominantly used for vineyards and olive groves: restaurants and communities depend on both. To reflect this, I visited Cantina Dionigi, in Bevagna, a vineyard supplying a restaurant I visited regularly in Spoleto. I observed production and collected dried grape skins leftover from wine production and vine stems, with the ambition to develop a glaze using these ingredients. On the way back, I noticed a row of trees that had been hit by a fire. I was aware that wildfires are common here due to the heat, so I collected a small amount of ash to add into a glaze. Once back in Spoleto I processed the materials by firing them in the kiln to remove any organic matter. I experimented with glaze recipes using the grape materials, ash and clay.

Development

The glaze tests showed promising results, some even looked like they had been dipped in wine. The warm hues and earthy tones perfectly complemented one another. I conducted a second iteration of tests as some didn't quite have the full coverage I had wanted. Whilst the firings took place, I headed back to the studio to reflect on the ceramics I had seen at the museum, in the books I'd been researching with, and whilst visiting La Rocca Albornorziana – a medieval fortress overlooking Spoleto. I sketched ideas for utensil shapes and forms,contemplating how the tests could be applied to tableware.

Fabio had previously explained to me how the ceramic industry in Deruta, and the surrounding areas, had rapidly declined. The lack of production in the area and empty shops were testament to this. As a maker originating from a family of craftspeople whose production moved abroad, I felt compelled to support the heritage of craftsmanship. To recognise this, I worked closely with Fabio over the following week to develop several prototype utensils that reflected the important regional ceramic traditions. The utensils were made using local clay, which I later fired and glazed with recipes I developed.

The outcome

To present the results I held an open studio event, sharing the research, material samples, the tests and final utensils. On the walls I hung images from the locations where materials were sourced and images of Fabio producing the ceramics. Filling the final utensils with food and wine from the Osteria del Matto, the open studio was an invitation to gather around the dining table, to eat and drink from utensils which materially represent the Valle Umbra, and to engage in conversations around the materials we use day to day.

The project in Spoleto was a continuation of my ongoing project titled ‘off the menu’, which studies the use of local and waste resources as a method for degrowth, proposing food waste as a tool for environmental and social regeneration. In collaboration with a restaurant in Margate, UK, I developed a collection of ceramics using restaurant waste, developing a conversation around the production and consumption levels in dining. Here, I explored how the use of food and local resources feed into the culture of dining, drawing upon the immediate environment to create.

The project will continue to evolve over the coming years and I would like to thank UAL and Mahler & LeWitt studios for this opportunity. The programme brought together a diverse group of individuals from broad backgrounds and united views. The shared conversations and experiences sparked critical thinking related to environments which I would never have engaged with otherwise. The conversations and experience will continue to feed my practice and my mind for years to come.

Related Links

• Art for the Environment International Residency Programme (AER)
• Mahler & Lewitt Studios
• UAL Centre for Sustainable Fashion
• UAL Post-Grad Community
• Carly's Instagram

Art for the Environment Residency Programme

The Art for the Environment Residency Programme (AER) provides UAL graduates with the opportunity to apply for a 2 to 4 week fully funded residency at one of our internationally renowned host institutions, to explore concerns that define the 21st century – biodiversity, environmental sustainability, social economy and human rights.

Founded in 2015, internationally acclaimed artist Professor Lucy Orta, UAL Chair of Art for the Environment – Centre for Sustainable Fashion, launched the programme in partnership with international residency programmes and UAL Post-Grad Community.