Ashley Thorpe

The first comprehensive account of the pioneering ceramic work of Julian Stair Julian Stair (b. 1955) is one of the UK’s leading ceramic artists, with a prolific career spanning five decades. Exploring an extensive range of work in different materials and scales, this book uncovers Stair’s role as a key player in the development of studio ceramics. Not only is Stair highly regarded on the global stage, he is also recognised for redefining the field by renewing interest in throwing in the early 1990s, together with Joanna Constantinidis, which enabled younger artists such as Edmund de Waal and Rupert Spira to emerge. Ashley Thorpe’s engaging text gives a fascinating insight into Stair’s evolution, with the ceramic vessel at its centre. Making, exhibiting, lecturing, and publishing are key to Stair’s celebration of how pottery is intrinsic to human existence. Featuring a spectacular range of new works and specially commissioned photography throughout, this beautifully illustrated book reveals the many facets of Stair’s groundbreaking career. "The most profound themes of human existence, contained in a simple pot: this is where Julian Stair is today. In this beautiful book, readers learn how he got here, with many wonders on the way. It is not just a terrific read, but an essential text for those interested in the integration of conceptual depth and material intelligence." - Glenn Adamson "Julian Stair’s work has an unparalleled breadth of expression and depth of resonance. Here at last is the beautiful reflection of his lifelong commitment to the art of ceramics. It reveals an artist who renews our understanding of the vessel, who makes us look and think anew. This is a truly special book." - Edmund de Waal "This book is a testament to the tremendous intelligence of the hand and the ways in which artists continue the legacies of spiritual belief, sculpture, labour and the power of the vessel – big and small – to intimate the truths of our humanity... Julian’s work is a daily, rigorous meditation on the histories of clay and the possibilities of human achievement through this humble material." - Theaster Gates

Discover Japanese culture and one of the world's oldest performance artforms in an exhilarating new way: through English-language noh theatre. Intercultural Japanese Noh Theatre: Texts and Analyses of English-language Noh provides a unique perspective on intercultural engagement with Japanese noh, a classical dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Unlike many projects approaching noh from the 'outside in,' this volume dives 'inside out,' tapping into the expertise of both professional Japanese noh performers and dedicated non-indigenous practitioners. Through selected play texts and insightful essays, this collection introduces a new realm of noh to global readers, academics, and theatre enthusiasts interested in Japanese culture. The opening chapters, guided by Akira Matsui, a master actor of the Kita school of noh, offer a contemporary view from within the professional noh world: the subsequent seven playtexts, chosen for their representation of shifts in practice and global resonance, are introduced by the writers, providing insights into their creative motivations. Following each play, experts analyse its performance aspects, from movement and music to costume and language, exploring the implications of integrating Japanese noh professionals with international amateurs. This volume not only contextualizes the chosen noh texts but also serves as a window into a dynamic form of intercultural engagement with noh theatre. By blending tradition with global perspectives, it illuminates the multifaceted nature of noh in a globalized context. For those interested in the longevity of performance art and new intercultural approaches, this book offers a comprehensive exploration of English-language noh and its rich complexity on the global stage.

Discover Japanese culture and one of the world's oldest performance artforms in an exhilarating new way: through English-language noh theatre. Intercultural Japanese Noh Theatre: Texts and Analyses of English-language Noh provides a unique perspective on intercultural engagement with Japanese noh, a classical dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Unlike many projects approaching noh from the 'outside in,' this volume dives 'inside out,' tapping into the expertise of both professional Japanese noh performers and dedicated non-indigenous practitioners. Through selected play texts and insightful essays, this collection introduces a new realm of noh to global readers, academics, and theatre enthusiasts interested in Japanese culture. The opening chapters, guided by Akira Matsui, a master actor of the Kita school of noh, offer a contemporary view from within the professional noh world: the subsequent seven playtexts, chosen for their representation of shifts in practice and global resonance, are introduced by the writers, providing insights into their creative motivations. Following each play, experts analyse its performance aspects, from movement and music to costume and language, exploring the implications of integrating Japanese noh professionals with international amateurs. This volume not only contextualizes the chosen noh texts but also serves as a window into a dynamic form of intercultural engagement with noh theatre. By blending tradition with global perspectives, it illuminates the multifaceted nature of noh in a globalized context. For those interested in the longevity of performance art and new intercultural approaches, this book offers a comprehensive exploration of English-language noh and its rich complexity on the global stage.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WEEK JUNIOR BOOK AWARDS, THE JHALAK PRIZE AND THE BRANFORD BOASE AWARD"Thrilling, tautly-written, pulls you right in and keeps you there! Plus: bonus trickster god!" Louie Stowell, author of Loki"A fast-paced, first-class debut with action scenes that will leave you breathless and characters who will have you cheering. I loved it!" A.F. Steadman, author of the Skandar seriesDiscover a fierce and fun story of one boy versus six gods, from a magical new voice in children's fiction...Kayode dreams of eating the forbidden fruit of the Orishas, so he can gain the power of the gods and stop them terrorizing his people. So when a fruit mysteriously appears in his path after the Orishas snatch his sister, he leaps on it.Surging with new and difficult-to-control powers, he joins forces with a shapeshifting trickster god and a vengeful princess to save his sister and put an end to the mighty Orishas. But each has more fearful powers than the last - and Kayode's stolen half-god strength won't last for ever...

Pots have existed across the world and in different cultures for thousands of years. This volume explores how contemporary makers use the ancient language of the pot to convey contemporary ideas, from the sculptural and painterly to the ecological and satirical. This beautifully produced book is a visually rich and critically in-depth focus on the work of twenty-four potters. A companion volume to Contemporary British Ceramics: Beneath the Surface, it reveals how pots can be extraordinarily powerful forms of expression.

Ceramics is one of the most vibrant and engaging fields of contemporary British art. This lavishly illustrated book reviews the work of twenty-two artists and celebrates their contribution to its rich landscape. Written from a collector’s point of view, it explores what contemporary ceramic objects can mean, what emotions they evoke and how artists draw upon different facets of the art and crafts worlds in their work. A vital visual and critical resource, Contemporary British Ceramics showcases British ceramics as a compelling interdisciplinary practice, attuned to the contemporary world. Featuring more than 280 images, it encourages readers to look beneath the surface, to discover the vibrant contribution that British ceramics makes to the broad field of contemporary art.

This book details the history of Chinese theatre, and British representations of Chinese theatre, on the London stage over a 250-year period. A wide range of performance case studies – from exhibitions and British Chinese opera inspired theatre, to translations of Chinese plays and visiting troupes – highlight the evolving nature of Sino-British trade, fashion, migration, the formation of diaspora, and international relations. Collectively, they outline the complex relationship between Britain and China – the rise and fall of the British Empire, and the fall and rise of China – as it was played out on the stages of London across three centuries. Drawing extensively upon archival materials and fieldwork research, the book offers new insights for intercultural British theatre in the 21st century – ‘the Asian century’.

This book details the history of Chinese theatre, and British representations of Chinese theatre, on the London stage over a 250-year period. A wide range of performance case studies – from exhibitions and British Chinese opera inspired theatre, to translations of Chinese plays and visiting troupes – highlight the evolving nature of Sino-British trade, fashion, migration, the formation of diaspora, and international relations. Collectively, they outline the complex relationship between Britain and China – the rise and fall of the British Empire, and the fall and rise of China – as it was played out on the stages of London across three centuries. Drawing extensively upon archival materials and fieldwork research, the book offers new insights for intercultural British theatre in the 21st century – ‘the Asian century’.