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.
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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.
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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.
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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’.
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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.
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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.