Ceramic artworks Setomonogatari 5 and 6 displayed at the Museum of Kyoto as part of Session T14G Breaking the Frame: Art and Archaeology in Practice, World Archaeology Congress, Kyoto, 28.08.16-02.09.16

Christopher McHugh will argue that his creative ceramic practice has much in common with archaeological approaches to the contemporary past in that it takes the form of a ‘creative materialising intervention’, focusing on marginal or otherwise overlooked aspects of person-object interaction. This will be illustrated by reference to Setomonogatari 5 and 6, recent artworks made in Seto, Japan, a traditional centre of pottery production. By reanimating old moulds and repurposing discarded sherds, his work explores the site’s changing materiality through time and is itself a proactive contribution to the archaeological record, capturing an enduring glimpse of the past and present of this ceramics community.

The exhibition was attended by 858 visitors over the course of a week.

*Setomonogatari is a portmanteau formed from two Japanese words – setomono, the traditional term for pottery made in Seto, and monogatari, meaning story.