Cumbrian Blue(s): Spode Works Closed; Three Gorges...After the Dam 2

These works look at the 2009 closure of the Spode works in Stoke-on-Trent, and the construction of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in China that caused flooding of large areas of land and displacement of people. In each, a sense of loss, disturbance and disorientation is created by the artist overlaying traditionally printed plates with contemporary designs. In the five plates entitled Spode Works Closed, views of the closed works appear superimposed on the factory’s iconic Blue Italian printed pattern. Meanwhile in Three Gorges, two flying doves – a traditional feature of willow pattern designs – catch our eye at the top of a plate that appears to be drowning in a huge deluge of water. Across this strange flood, an incongruous cruise ship makes serene progress (main illustration).