Peckham Postcards

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An early Xmas present to myself thanks to serendipity and the immense generosity of Loraine Rutt - ceramicist of this parish and a gifted craftsperson. Loraine (whose own site with many pictures of her work can be found here) - specialises in... well, let me quote her from her own bio:

'My art practice explores movement of sea, of goods, of people, of shoreline, and of satellites; and the work produced sets points in time, points of view, sets places, and sets details. A recurring theme is a particular fascination with mapping transient details by direct casting, such as the movement of material by the sea.'

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The works I've luckily come to own are pictured here. They're five porcelain 'postcards' of Peckham; each one detailing the development of the same area and based on maps and surveys dating back over 200 years. Each one comes with its own oak stand (made by Loraine's cabinet-maker husband, Steve) and is designed (as you can see) to be backlit. I love the way they glow and allow the cartographic details to shine out.

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As an ex-cartographer, I'm instantly drawn to work like this (and Loraine also uses maps of the moon in some of her work - making it even more alluring to a space fan like myself) - not only does the medium of clay give a satisfying tactility to the beauty of mapping, but it also introduces formality into our relationship with what is in essence something utilitarian.

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Coincidentally, Loraine's work also mirrors another of Peckham's artistically fertile population - the estimable Tom Phillips, whose own work often uses maps of this very same area as a basis for his prints and paintings. There must be something in the water...

Anyway, if you like this stuff, there's tons more on Loraine's site, as well as in her studio which is in Arch 191, Blenheim Court, 48-50 Blenheim Grove, London SE15 4QL.