'Setomonogatari* – Ceramic Practice as an Archaeology of the Contemporary Past', Session T14G Breaking the Frame: Art and Archaeology in Practice, World Archaeology Congress 8, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan, 01.09.2016.

Christopher McHugh argues 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 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.

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