What Katy Did
A freelance ceramic designer, working independently on a project-by-project basis, Katy West's designs incorporate research into design history and generic type. Pieces are developed as prototypes for factory production, often realised in limited edition and as exhibition pieces.
Katy West graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2007. Originally from Dublin, Katy studied at the Glasgow school of Art prior to her move to London where she ran Firework Studio, a shop and collaborative organization providing ceramic facilities for artists and designers.
Of her work West says,
My own practice is concerned with the re-contextualisation of existing generic objects, reinterpreting their form, and reinventing their function. I love working with porcelain and bone china, though I am also interested in the status of other materials such as earthenware, factory clays and concrete. I like to balance my practice between the pragmatics of design and the theories of art. The functional products I make are imbued with an historic reference, devoid of nostalgia and workable within our culture today.
2007 sees West return to Glasgow and establish a new design business combining work under her own name and that for commission. She often adapts existing designs for a particular client and has also work on a number of artist's projects, helping to realise their fine art pieces through their designs and her understanding of the ceramic process.
Katy West is also committed to education and has worked as lecturer in a number of third level institutions, taught in secondary schools and run workshops in a broad range of contexts.