Medium: Handmade, Underglaze Technique on Porcelain Tile
Size: 50 x 50 cm
Year:2025
From September 2025- March 2026 at Spode Museum, UK
Willow Bridges is a ceramic tile design that reinterprets the traditional "Willow Pattern" through a contemporary lens. While preserving key visual elements of the classic motif—such as weeping willow threes, pagoda-like structures, three men on a quaint bridge, a pair of swallows—the work integrates iconic architectural landmarks from London, including Tower Bridge, Big Ben, and the London Eye. This creative combination symbolizes the ongoing cultural dialogue between China and the United Kingdom. Originally developed in 18th-century England as a Western interpretation of Chinese porcelain, the Willow Pattern becomes here a medium for mutual exchange rather than exotic fantasy. Unlike the mass-produced productions that historically carried the Willow Pattern through transfer printing techniques, Willow Bridges is entirely hand-decorated, reviving the spirit of craftsmanship and individual expression within a traditionally industrialized design. By blending historic imagery with modern symbols, Willow Bridges celebrates over four centuries of ceramic connection between East and West. It pays tribute to Stoke-on-Trent’s 100-year legacy as the “Ceramic City” while also envisioning a shared future shaped by collaboration, creativity, and cultural continuity.