Doctoral Thesis
Tyas, M., 2014. Designing 21st Century Standard Ware: The Cultural Heritage of Leach and the Potential Applications of Digital Technologies. Falmouth University.
The PhD was undertaken with Falmouth University’s Autonomatic Research Group & the Leach Pottery from 2010 – 2014. The title is: “Designing 21st Century Standard Ware: The Cultural Heritage of Leach and the Potential Applications of Digital Technologies.”
The research investigated ways in which digital design technologies can be used to examine and extend Leach Pottery design and production methods. The project included a visual review of Leach Standard Ware, which culminated in the creation of new lineages of forms, observation of Leach Pottery workshop practices, and the development of practical skills in the use of digital design production methods. This exploration of new production methods, based on the integration of digital technologies into the Leach Pottery’s workshop practices, provides the means to examine the relationship between digital design and small-scale craft making facilities.
The practice culminated in ‘Echo of Leach’, a new range of 21st century Leach Standard Ware that I designed and developed. I curated an exhibition of the work which showed at the Leach Pottery from June to September 2013. ‘Echo of Leach’ included examples of my tools, designs, and pots, and also featured the new range of ‘Echo of Leach’ Standard Ware as interpreted by the Leach Pottery Studio (Kat Wheeler and Britta Wengeler) and also by Doug Fitch, Jonathan Keep, Jeff Oestreich and Britta Wengeler.