CAST LIGHT
RECENT AND FORTHCOMING EXHIBITIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
2024
FEBRUARY 18 : A selection of Margaret's porcelain lights were selected to appear in Episode 7 of the 7th series of Channel Four's The Great Pottery Throwdown, 'Illuminating Light Sculptures', in which the participating potters were challenged to create illuminated sculptures.
Great Pottery Throwdown judges, Keith Brymer Jones and Richard Miller in discussion with two of Margaret's lights in the background and to the right of Keith.
2023
JANUARY - FEBRUARY: Margaret was invited by Raymond Blanc to exhibit a selection of lights and wearable porcelain at the restaurant, Brasserie Blanc, 71-72 Walton Street, Oxford OX2 6AG
2022
10th - 31st OCTOBER: FESTIVAL OF LIGHT, Heals, Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7LQ
A selection of Margaret's lights in bone china and porcelain were displayed in the main Tottenham Court Road window of this leading lighting and furnishing store. The Festival of Light is an annual event held at Heals, and provides an important showcase for the latest in lighting innovation and design from global manufacturers and makers.
20th MAY - 2nd JULY: PORCELAIN at Oxford Ceramics Gallery, Walton Road, Oxford OX2 6AA, a group exhibition | Find out more here
Margaret exhibited Moon lights, Cloud Discs and Trochus
2021
20th - 24th SEPTEMBER: LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL / FOCUS/21, Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour, Lots Road, London SW10 0XE
Margaret exhibited a selection of her lights in conjunction with a group of fellow makers from Contemporary Applied Arts.
Visit Chelsea Harbour Design Centre site here
MAY 7th - 11th: a group of Margaret's porcelain and bone china lights were exhibited in conjunction with The Pedestal auction house, at The Dairy, Stonor Park, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire RG9 6HF.
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Top: The Dairy, Stonor Park; bottom, left to right: Curled light sculptures and Conus & Trochus; Moon lights, in the form of suspended pendants and free standing lights
2020
MARGARET O’RORKE, Visiting Fellow Staffordshire University: Ceramics Porcelain, Bone china and light
ARTISTS PRESENTATION: 29th January, 2-3pm, Cadman G026, College Road Campus, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 2DE
Margaret discussed the development of her work and her current exhibition of porcelain light sculptures at the KWUM Ceramic Museum, Fiskars, Finland. She also traced how her studio work has led to her latest lighting products in bone china, manufactured in collaboration with Duchess China, Stoke-on-Trent, and the creative opportunities the industry has to offer.
2019
17th November 2019 - September 2020: KWUM Studio Ceramics Museum and Gallery, Baklurantie/Bakluravagen 12, 10470 Fiskars, Finland | Open: Wednesday - Sunday, 12noon to 5pm | Browse the exhibition catalogue on: issuu.com
2019
16th - 20th January: LONDON ART FAIR, Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, London N1 0QH | STAND NO G24 with MODERN GROUND
2018
31st March, 11.30 - 12.30, Margaret gave a demonstration: China in Your Hands
At Place Farm, Court Street , Tisbury SP3 6LW | Visit MESSUMS WILTSHIRE site
February - May: VORTEX 2 chandelier, woven steel, light fibres and porcelain installed for sale at Messums Wiltshire shop, showing below. Vortex 2 is a collaboration with the Finnish art weaver, Sirkka Paikkari
2017
November: Margaret took part in the SASAMA Ceramic Festival 2017: visit the site
On display in this charming Japanese room, showing below, with Tatami mating and photographs on the wall of her work were these samples of her lit cast translucent porcelain small table lamps, a pendant light and three small carved candle lights.
11th July: ISCAEE – International Society for Ceramic Art Education and Exchange
Theme: Interpreting History - Margaret was a keynote speaker and demonstrated thrown fine porcelain for lighting
Visit the ISCAEE website here
3rd - 6th April: MILAN FURNITURE FAIR, 56th Edizione Salone del Mobili, Milano; Margaret's works were displayed with Grupo Mobilfresno, showing below. Photo: Salone del Mobili
THE GREAT POTTERY THROWDOWN, BBC2, series 2, programme 8; the contestants' challenge was to make porcelain lights, and Margaret's Arrowhead chandelier, showing below, was presented as an example of the genre at the end of the programme.
6th - 7th MARCH: BEZALEL ACADEMY OF ARTS AND DESIGN, HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM; Margaret gave tutorials and workshops to graduate students | Visit the website
2nd - 3rd MARCH: BENYAMINI CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS CENTER, TEL AVIV, ISRAEL; following Margaret's visit to the Center in 2016 she returned to give a demonstration - the making of Horizontal Pods, using a blow torch. At the conclusion of the session, Margaret talked with a group of participants about the electrics required to illuminate their works. Photos: Eran | Visit the website
OFFICINESAFFI GALLERY, MILAN, OPEN TO ART: selected artist category, design, February 2017, work included
THE OXFORD CERAMIC GALLERY, Black & White, January 28th - 4th March 2017, work included
2016
21st - 22nd November, THE SLEEP SET, HOTEL DESIGN EVENT, BUSINESS DESIGN CENTRE, LONDON
invited by Chiu Man, WOW Architects, Singapore, and exhibited caast Vertical Pods on the Grupo Mobilefresno stand
Left: Nick O'Rorke and Magaret O'Rorke | Right: Margaret with Chiu Man
10 June - 23 July, NEW ASHGATE GALLERY, FARNHAM, 50 Years Celebration - Mixed Exhibition
BENYAMINI CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS CENTER, TEL AVIV, ISRAEL, 1st MARCH; Maya Muchawksy Parnas, Director, Benyamini Contemporary Ceramics Center (founded in 2011) has created a lively centre of ceramic excellence. Maya introduced my first presentation where I talked about how I became a potter. I was very struck by the variety, craftsmanship and creative content of the work on show.
21st February: CERAMIC AND GLASS DEPARTMENT, BEZALEL ART AND DESIGN ACADEMY, JERUSALEM, ISRAEL; a slide presentation to a group of ceramicists and a talk with the students, whose work was imaginative, well executed and interestingly varied
January - March, BLUECOAT CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTRE, LIVERPOOL, Lighting - work included
2015
THE OXFORD GALLERY, work included
12th July, EVENTO FICAS, CALDAS, PORTUGAL; whilst visiting Caldas, looking to source a porcelain factory to manufacture porcelain lights, Margaret was invited to give a presentation. Evento Ficas is a private arts centre located within a deserted granary. Artists across all disciplines work from studios and exchange ideas. Once a month artists are invited to give a short presentation on their work and whilst in Caldas Margaret gave her own presentation.
10th October, THE FARNHAM POTTERY, WEST STREET POTTERS and 318 CERAMICS, SURREY, Adventures with Porcelain, demonstration and talk | Visit the website
2014
6th September, INTERNATIONAL DESIGN CENTER OF YANZE CERAMICS, GAOCHUN, NANJING, CHINA, invited to be artist in residence
Flower lamp - fired lit forms
While Margaret was at Yanze Ceramics, Chiu Man, Director of WOW Architects / Warner Wong Design, commissioned lights for their new hotel, the St Regis Resort Hotel, in the Maldives. Three different models were thrown and Jiangsu Gaochun Ceramics Co. Ltd manufactured the bone china lights. The installed lights at the St Regis Resort Hotel are showing here below.
June - November, WATT'S UP, exhibition at BERNARDAUD FOUNDATION, LIMOGES, FRANCE
2013
CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS CENTRE, LONDON; translucent porcelain exhibited with ceramicist, Beverly Bell-Hughes
April - July, Food with Art, at G W Sundmans restaurant, Helsinki, Finland. Work included a collaboration with Matti Jamsen and Pekka Piakkari.
The University of the Creative Arts, Farnham Campus - lecture and demonstration
The Oxford Ceramic Gallery, Porcelain exhibition.
Anita Besson Artists, Officine Saffi, Milan, Italy.
Food with Art, G W Sunmans restaurant, Helsinki, Finland, October - November; showing below: Sunmans Curl, 2012 - a collaboration with Matti Jamsen and Pekka Paikkari
2011
Studie Galleri Nyboder Lys og Porcelæn, Copenhagen, Denmark
Tea for Two, Officine Saffi, Milan, Italy.
Porcelain, The Oxford Ceramic Gallery
Decorum Potters, slide talk and presentation, 13 May
Changing Paces, Mixed Media - Joanna Bird London
Translucencies, Officinesaffi, Milan. Italy.
See review: Ceramic Review UK, January 2012, Issue 253. Page 18.
Studie galleri Nyboder Lys og Porcelæn Copenhagan DK
CAA Percy Street, A Unique Proposal.
2010
CLAY, LIGHT AND WATER, published by A & C Black, February book launch at Contemporary Applied Arts, London
Contemporary Applied Arts, Circus Satellite Porcelain exhibition
TRANSLUCENCIES, Gallery Officine Saffi, Milan, Italy, Vertical Pods
Made to Cherish, at Contemporary Applied Arts London
Woven Light and Porcelain: a collaboration with the Finnish art weaver, Sirkka Paikkari
Solo Exhibition, NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts), Translucent Porcelain and Light, Philadelphia, USA
2009
January - March: McKnight Visiting Artist in Residence, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Northern Clay Center, Solo Exhibition, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA (in 2010 the exhibition was shown in Philadelphia, see above)
Left to right: Margaret at -35C | Cast Ice Mountain at Northern Clay Center | Icicles
Between 2007-2009 Margaret made three visits to Sanbao Cermaic Art Institute, Jingdezhen, China, at the invitation of the Director, Jackson Lee, to research creating cast translucent porcelain with light.
Jackson gave her materials, resources and assistance and he introduced her to the culture and the profound understanding the skilled craftsmen have of their materials and craft.
Margaret worked with her assistant to create porcelain lighting that would be manufactured.
In 2009 Margaret returned to develop cast thrown models for both domestic and large-scale interiors which were shown in her solo exhibition at the Northern Clay Center, Philadelphia, and the following year in Philadelphia.
2008
Margaret returned to Sanbao and developed creative ideas with cast porcelain incorporating light.
Jingdezhen International Ceramic exhibition and workshop, Sanbao, China.
Galerie Besson: Twenty Years, Twenty Pots
Light Sculptures, International Exhibition, Makasini, Fiskars, Finland.
KOTONA III, Fiskars, Finland, Garment Sculptures
2007
Contemporary Applied Arts, London, Porcelain Garment Sculptures, collaboration with Marlene McKibbin
The Wison Art Museum and Jingzhe Modern Art Museum, Shanghai, World Contemporary and Public Ceramic Art
Jingdezhen Sanbao Ceramic Art Institute, China
Margaret's first vist to Sanbao Ceramic Art Institute, Jingdezhen, China. In order to make molds as quickly as posible, and start working with porcelain slip to discover its translucency, bamboo was cut for her from the forest.
At Sanbao International Ceramic Center, Jingdezhen, China, 2007
Flow Gallery. London, Commissioning Exhibition
Oxford Museum, Woodstock, Potters of Portland
Collect, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, Flow Gallery
Galerie Besson: Classic and Contemporary Ceramics, International Master's exhibition and workshop.
RECENT ARTIST RESIDENCES AND EVENTS 2007 – 2017
2017
Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem, Israel, March 6th - 7th, workshop
Benyamini Contemporary Ceramics Center, Tel Aviv, Israel, March 2nd - 3rd, workshop
2016
Ceramic and Glass Department, Bezalel Art and Design Academy, Jerusalem, Israel, February 22nd, presentation & workshop
Benyamini Contemporary Ceramics Center, Tel Aviv, Isreal, February, presentation.
2015
Evento FICAS, Caldas, Portugal, a short presentation.
Adventures with Porcelain, The Farnham Pottery, Surrey.
2014
Presentation: Offre de la fondation, Bernardaud, Limoges, France
Conference on Contemporary Ceramics, presentation at University of Derby
2013
Sundmans Restaurant, Helsinki, Finland, Art and Food
2012
Sundmans Restaurant. Helsinki, Finland, Art and Food.
University of the Creative Arts. Farnham. Porcelain and Translucency.
Lecture, demonstration and MA Student Tutorials.
2011
Decorum & Potters Guild, Slide Demonstration. Kings Langley,
2009
Awarded Research & Development Grant, Arts Council, South East
Awarded 2009 McKnight Artist Residencies for Ceramic Artists at the Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Exhibition and Workshop Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis. Minnesota, USA.
Resident Artist Sanbao Ceramic Art Institute, Jingdezhen, China.
2008
Invited Artist, Jingdezhen International Ceramic exhibition workshop, Sanbao, China
2007
Fuping Pottery Art Village, Fuping, Shaanzi, China, conference, theme: Appreciation of Ceramic Art, presentation “Translucent
Porcelain with light - Studio Potter and Industrial Designer” - Margare O'Rorke.
Jingdezhen Sanbao Ceramic Art Institute, China, International Master's Workshop.
International Ceramic Research Centre, Denmark. Collaborative Relationships Seminar: Royal Copenhagen Porcelain.
MAGAZINE ARTICLES
2016: Tribute to Anita Besson Ceramic Review issue 277, CPA News p. 3
2014: La Ceramica_bassa. Issue 22. O’RORKE La Luc della Terra.
2014: Ceramics Art and Perception Issue 97, pages 3-7
2010: Ceramic Technical, Margaret O’Rorke by Elaine Olafson Henry, no 30.
2009: June/July American Crafts
2006: The Independent Magazine, Light Fantastic, by Liz Hoggard
2006: Image Interiors, Ireland, David Miles, May/June
2005: September/October, House and Garden
Modern Living Japan, no. 158, Jan. 2005
1999: August, World of Interiors
1999: Ceramic Review UK, Jan/Feb Ceramic
1997: October Art and Perception Australia
1989: Ceramics Monthly USA
1987: Crafts Magazine, Light Years UK
REVIEWS
Gallery Officinesaffi, Milan, Italy, see Ceramic Review UK, 2012, issue 253. page 18.
Clay Light and Water, reviewed by Sebastian Blackie, Ceramic Review, issue 243 May/June, 2010, page 30.
Clay Light and Water, reviewed by Janet Mansfield, Ceramic Art & Perception, issue #82, December 2010
Ceramic Review, 194, March/April 2002
Revue Céramique & Verre, no 123, mars/avril 2002
PUBLICATIONS AND BOOKS
"Light Your Home: By Elizabeth Wilhide (1 Oct 2005)
A Comprehensive Guide to Practical and Decorative Lighting (Conran Octopus Interiors)
Clay Light and Water, Margaret O’Rorke, A&C Black 2010
Porcelain and Light. Booklet of Margaret’s works. Designed and printed in China. 2010, available to purchase: £5, please contact: Margaret.ororke@btinternet.com
Porcelain, Caroline Whyman, Batsford.
Ceramic Technology for Potters and Sculptors, Yvonne Cuff. A & C Black 1996.
Porcelain: Jack Doherty Ceramic Handbook, A & C Black 2002.
Porcelain and Bone China: Sasha Wardell. Crowood 2004.
Naked Clay: Jane Perryman, A & C Black 2004.
Ceramics with Mixed Media: Joy Boswell, A & C Black.
Breaking the Mould: Black Dog Publications 2007.
INCLUDED IN PUBLICATIONS
Ceramic Tools and Techniques, Louisa Taylor, 2011
Breaking The Mould, Black dog Publishing, 2007
Ceramics with Mixed Media, Joy Boswell, A&C Black
Naked Clay, Jane Perryman, A&C Black 2004
Porcelain & Bone China, Sasha Wardell, Crowood 2004
Porcelain, Jack Doherty Ceramic Handbook, A&C Black 2002
Technology for Potters and Sculptors, Yvonne Cuff, A&C Black 1996
Porcelain, Caroline Whyman. Batsford/Ceramic
APPOINTMENTS AND MEMBERSHIPS
2012: Invited Fellow, Crafts Potters Association
2010: Invited Professional Member, Crafts Potters Association
2009: Selected Artist for VISUAL, South East Arts and Business
2008 Member of Contemporary Applied Arts
2008- Honorary Member of Common Room, Wolfson College, Oxford University
2003-2008 Member of Common Room, Wolfson College, Oxford University
2001 - Appointed a Trustee, The Helen Hamlyn Trust.
1999-2002 Visiting Creative Arts Fellow, Wolfson College, Oxford University
1988-2002 Craft Adviser to Southern Arts
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
The Oxfordshire Museum Woodstock.
Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford.
The Bowes Museum, County Durham
Grimmerhus Museum, Middelfart, Denmark
Royal Copenhagen Porcelain, Show Room, Copenhagen, Denmark
The Blair Museum of Lithophanes, Toledo, Ohio USA.