Granby Workshop is a community-led initiative that was established by Assemble and named after the Liverpool neighbourhood Granby. Liverpool has a legacy as a major centre for ceramic innovation from the early 1800s onwards. Granby Workshop manufactures a wide range of ceramics from bathroom tiles, to taps and countertops. Their work combines experimental craft techniques with material investigations. Central to the ethos of Granby Workshop is the ability to incorporate an element of randomness and individuality to each work so that the end products are entirely unique. Once inhabiting a space, they create their own playful exchanges with the environment that they are housed in.
The items acquired for Victoria Gallery & Museum will form part of a large room installation incorporating utensils, floor tiles and a fireplace and visitors are invited to enter the room and engage with the objects. Much of Granby Workshop’s products are made from recycled materials that directly tackles increasing environmental concerns. Their work also speaks of renewal through creativity and positivity which is something the local, national and global economy will be encouraged by over the coming years after lockdown.
An exhibition centred on a recent acquisition of four Peter Lanyon designs for a hand-painted tile mural will go on display, with the theme of the human race’s conflict with nature. Acquiring a large body of work by Granby Workshop to be displayed adjacently will complement this work through a contemporary voice on ceramics, providing an opportunity to reflect on issues arising from Covid-19. Victoria Gallery & Museum intends to collaborate with the University’s School of Architecture and ceramic groups from other colleges and communities enabling the exhibition to be remotely accessible.
