Using clay in a contemporary manner for wall space is an increasingly fashionable and innovative solution both for decorators, architects and makers. Wall pieces are the perfect solution for those who enjoy sculpture but have no space; they fulfill the same function as a picture while being much more dynamic and three-dimensional. Current wall pieces vary enormously from simple tiled pieces to huge installations, and this book looks at the huge variety of work being made, as well as all the problems, solutions and diverse approaches to wall pieces. The book gives an insight into the work of contemporary makers, exploring how to plan, design, make, mount and safely hang ceramic pieces. It's also illustrated with a wide selection of original and inspiring work by contemporary ceramic artists.

Pushing the Boundaries
Over the last decade, the innovation and determination of ceramicists to push the boundaries of clay as well as people's perceptions of the material has been both surprising and exciting. Wall Pieces offers inspiration for a material that's extremely versatile, natural and beautiful. You'll get an insight into how makers from all over the world are working with clay and the wall space in an exciting and dynamic manner. This book also provides some technical information and guidelines to help get you started in designing, creating and hanging your own wall piece.
The fascination with the decoration of a wall's surface is not a recent concept but can be traced as far back as Ancient Egypt, where they decorated their walls with stories of the gods using oxides painted directly on a surface and in some cases using ceramic tiles. Although ceramic wall pieces have evolved and changed from the use of the tile, the concept of decorating and expanding an idea, pattern and visual relief across a surface or a whole room is present throughout history and continues to this day.

Short History

Anne Mercedes contributes the first part of the book with an overview of what wall pieces are, and how they fit into the contemporary scene, with a look at their historical origins in other forms, and how they have evolved. More and more artists and designers working with ceramics are showing an interest in making wall pieces, and finding ways of producing large-scale work for which they may not have been trained. Achieving these projects often involves working in collaboration, so Mercedes briefly examines the practical and economic factors influencing the different forms of collaboration. The projects examined provide examples of different types of wall pieces, and highlight the social and economic developments relevant to anyone wishing to undertake projects of this kind.

Designing and Planning

Before embarking on the making of a wall piece it's essential to take time to plan and design your idea. Segurado provides some pointers to help you consider design issues and think about planning, as well as information on how other makers have used design planning to create a number of successful wall pieces. One of the first and most important steps is to take time to consider the location, as this could have a strong influence on the starting points of the design, scale, weight and overall aesthetic. This will then influence your choice of materials and methods suitable to create your piece of work. In this way, making wall pieces involves a reversal of the usual approach, where an artist will often create a piece, and then consider how and where to display it. Wall pieces, at least for the larger works, are often location-led, and where they are to be located may dictate their design, style and atmosphere.