Made in East Midlands: The Collectors

Made in East Midlands features the work of four artists from our region, each inspired by collecting and collections.  The exhibition features a fantasy dinner set, a coral garden, a nest of bones and an assemblage of ceramic vessels

Based in Peterborough, Kathryn Parsons’ inspiration comes from the corals that grow around the coast of Britain.  Curiosity and a desire to learn more about these curious creatures led to a visit to Peterborough Museum to see their corals, a local aquarium to see living corals, and an extraordinary invitation to visit the coral collection behind the scenes at the Natural History Museum.  The result is a new body of work that takes its inspiration from the complex beauty of the corals, historic and personal collections, and the increasing concerns for the future of corals and the ecosystems that depend on them.  Intricate hand modelled porcelain coral creatures and found natural, vintage and retro objects are combined to create precious treasures.  Each piece which tells its own story of a time long before corals became endangered and their collection highly regulated, when something beautiful was found washed up on a beach…. and became a treasure.