Margaret O'Rorke

A highly translucent porcelain to create forms that give light

Since 1983, a love of the translucency of fine high-fired porcelain has led to the development of ways to create thrown forms that give light.  A more affordable range of porcelain lighting for industrial manufacture is being created using the experience gained through years of handling and firing the material, as well as continuing to make one-off thrown pieces in the studio.  In 1999, time at the Wades Porcelain Ceramic Factory in Stoke-on-Trent was spent creating a lit porcelain cast form that could be industrially manufactured.

Sometimes paper and pencil can help to work out how the practical electrical engineering could be incorporated.  Sometimes it is through playing with the clay on the wheel and watching what happens when slight changes are made to the thrown shape.  It is impossible to say how it all happens.The quality of light and feeling the translucency that high fired porcelain transmits has inspired finding ways of making the work illuminate without showing the mechanical parts.  Although this has been a long, difficult and time consuming process, it is one that had to be done as part of the work.

Exhibitions

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2006

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