Northern Soul’s Steve Slack headed to the British Ceramics Biennial (BCB) as it returned to Stoke-on-Trent, the home of British ceramics, for its fifth edition. The six week international ceramics festival animated the city with exhibitions, installations, new commissions and hands-on activities that showcased the creative potential of clay, reflecting and stimulating the resurgence of contemporary ceramics.

The former Spode Factory site in the heart of Stoke Town formed the main hub of the festival, with the cultural quarter of Hanley forming a second hub across venues including the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, AirSpace Gallery, Bethesda Chapel and Stoke-on-Trent Central Library.

The festival programme also linked with some of the city’s key industry players: Emma Bridgewater, Burleigh at Middleport Pottery, World of Wedgwood and Johnson Tiles. The BCB programme was launched to coincide with Stoke-on-Trent’s bid for UK City of Culture 2021.

Images by Steve Slack