Somehow this unusual place has slipped by us, not featuring in a post or even given a passing mention. But that changes today. The Ceramic House will have its moment.
Coated in unique tiled features, The Ceramic House serves as a permanent exhibition for the works of Brighton-based architectural ceramicist Kay Alpin. Each tile and installation tells a story, carrying us through the history of her style, process, and career.
Rather than a topped and tailed melange of mosaics, Alpin’s Ceramic House has clearly defined separate pieces that form a section of wall, a detail, or an entire room. Each of these pieces tells a story, whether its of the commission the tile came from, a project they were inspired by, or a feeling to be evoked.
The Tudor Kitchen features a third iteration of tiles first created for Hampton Court Palace Gardens, the entrance to the house is home to tiles left over from a private commission in Asturias, the entire south wall of the house is covered in tiles recreated from a community project Alpin completed in Gorseinon in Wales, and the Llanbradach Spires bathroom pairs two pieces – a window from a degree project completed in 1995, and tiles leftover from a public art commission called ‘The Llanbradach Follies’.
The stories of each artwork continue throughout the house which is open as a pop-up gallery, an artists residency, and also to guests who wish to stay.
Versions of some of the tiles as other designs and decors by Alpin are also available to buy, as are sculptures, mugs, and various ceramic creations by numerous artists.
A new post by Hanna Simpson, Diary of a Tile Addict, November 2023.