Traces of the past are imprinted on the present

Traces represents the past, present and potential future of British Ceramics in Stoke.  The vase represents the unquenchable demand for ceramics in the 18th and 19th Centuries.  It is based on a tulipiere - a vessel used solely for tulips.  The 47 Bottle Kilns are arrayed along the contour of the Trent Mersey canal.  Stoke City is a 1997 local government construct tasked with tackling the region's industrial decline; it was the Trent Mersey canal (opened 1777) that united the 6 towns and carried Stoke's goods to Liverpool, to be shipped across the globe - 47 Bottle Kilns are still standing today.  The wall tile triptych follows the route of the Trent Mersey canal from Derby to Liverpool. Look carefully and you will see ghost kilns in the area around Stoke.  You will also see details gradually emerging and becoming clearer.  The triptych represents the future.