Things from Home

This installation of contemporary ceramics is inspired by the objects, landscapes and food that international students miss most when they are away from home. The works were created by award winning ceramic artist, Katrin Moye.

Katrin worked with international students at the University of Nottingham on an Arts Council funded project to develop and test her ideas about how objects that are missing from our lives assume a great importance in our memories.

The (predominantly Chinese) students who were far away from their homes, often for the first time in their lives, told her about special things they missed from home. The artist used their verbal descriptions of these things to make a collection of hand built ceramic objects which interpret and recreate the missing things for their owners.

Often, the ceramic objects bear little resemblance to the original. The artist relied only on the words the students used to describe their missing things, and she has filled in the blanks with guesswork and imagination – revealing the cultural disconnect and difficulties experienced when living in an unfamiliar environment and speaking in a new language. The words spoken by the students have been reproduced on ceramic plinths supporting the objects, becoming an intrinsic part of the work itself.

The artworks are displayed throughout the Oriental Museum galleries, placed with objects from the Museum’s own collections which echo the themes highlighted by the students.