Moulding Memory: Reimaging the Tiles at Theatr Clwyd

 I have recently visited the theatre to see how the renovations are coming along ready for the soft opening in June. 

Whilst standing in the shadow of the Anthony Hopkins theatre, I started to think about the negative space that I am exploring with the tiles. But not just the gaps between the tiles or the tiles themselves but also the stories, hands and histories that shaped them. Having had the privilege of visiting York Handmade Brick Company, where I learned more about the craft of brickmaking; I was generously gifted some of their clay to experiment with. 

I've now started to create my own brick moulds that capture the negative space of the theatre's original tiles - a process of casting absence, turning voids into form. This isn't about replicating the tiles but reimaging. Following the core principles of Theatr Clwyd's art programme - sustainability, playfulness/joy and community engagement - I'm exploring new materials and processes that honour the theatre's past while imaging its future. 

To create the brick moulds, I first made a wooden former (essentially, a frame or box) that mirrored the negative space I wanted to capture. The wooden mould defines the outer edges and depth of the final clay piece. 

I am using the 3D printed versions of the original tiles in the bottom of the moulds to create the indent/frog in the brick forms.

When I make the bricks, I will prepare the clay by wedging it in sand. Prepare the mould with water and sand as a release agent. Then, throw the clay in the mould, pressing the clay firmly into the corners of the wooden former-making sure it fills the void completely. This will hopefully allow the clay to pick up on the subtle shapes, texture and contours of the tiles and negative space inside the mould. Hopefully, the clay will then release from the mould when turned upside down. They will need to dry thoroughly before being fired. The whole process transforms what's usually an empty space, into a positive, solid form that holds its own presence and meaning.

Some of the clay I will be using comes directly from the landscape; I've dug and processed local clay myself, connecting the work physically to place. The firing process, too, is designed to be as sustainable as possible. I plan to use pit firing, fuelled by wood fallen in recent storms (transforming a force of destruction into a source of creation). 

Through these methods, I'm building not just a series of brick forms of the negative space of the original tiles, but a taxonomy of practice: a framework that balances environmental responsibility, creative experimentation and meaningful dialogue with the community.

These bricks, shaped by local materials, local stories, and the traces of what once was, will hopefully invite others to think about what it means to build, remember and renew.