23rd September 2019

Matthew Raw on Tactile Change

- written by Laura Snoad

Ceramic artist Matthew Raw uses clay and tiles to tell nuanced stories of the material and industrial evolution of cities and how humans respond to that change. While his 2017 exhibition Clad told the story of the social evolution of East London, his second solo show Tactile Change, explores the city of Plymouth through the perhaps unexpected lens of its now-closed zoo.

Opened in 1962 and closed 16 years later, the zoo – because of its coastal location – was a first port of call for many exotic animals as they entered the UK for the first time. Matthew has used this context as a springboard to explore wider narratives of migration and containment, creating typographic and pictorial tiles to tell these stories.

As part of the project Matthew also involved students from the Plymouth College of Art and much younger students at the Plymouth School of Creative Arts in the fabrication of the project. Ahead of the show (which opened last Friday) we chatted to Matthew about what excited him about Plymouth, the history of the zoo and the best way to involve young makers in exhibitions like Tactile Change.

Your 2017 show Clad looked at the social evolution of east London, and now Tactile Change turns the spotlight on Plymouth. Why is ceramics a good discipline for investigating the evolving city and how individuals respond to that?

The imprint of ceramics is everywhere throughout society. A wander through the collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum shows the importance of, among other things, tableware from all ages and nations. My work doesn't focus on that area of ceramics, but I am increasingly interested in our relationship with tiles and what they do and can communicate. In east London there are so many examples of interior and exterior tiles, and I love thinking about what these murals, facades and features have seen. In contemporary ceramics, anything goes, and in the last 10 years we have seen artists from all disciplines using clay to express their thoughts and ideas. As an approachable, easy to shape material, I think it gives loads of people opportunity to have a go and see what they can do.

How does tactility offer a different perspective on change than the other senses?

These days we are exposed to so much. But increasingly, 'hands-on' opportunities seem to exist less. I use clay, but love it when I get to work with other materials and processes because they can be exotic and instinctive. Making a sand castle or stroking a horse (welcome to my summer with my son) can only help our understanding of what is around us. That sounds a bit strange – what I mean is that there are other ways of experiencing and learning things, rather than the reliance we have on the digital.

In process, Matthew Raw's Tactile Change show. Photo by Sarah Parker.

How has the zoo been useful as a tool for talking more widely about the city, migration and detention?

The zoo came out of nowhere. I was told about it on a whistle-stop tour around Plymouth with a local historian called Tony Davey. Other places have zoos but it was the location of Plymouth and the fact that animals would arrive by boat directly into its port that made it unique. From what I understand, some of the animals would be quarantined there before going on to other zoos. I have looked at the transient movement of people, journeying and migration for ages, and the link was immediate. It grew from there. It's not that I don't care about animals, but I am using the zoo as a catalyst to question the attitude we have as a society towards the treatment of each other.

Why was it important to you to involve children from Plymouth School of Creative Arts (PSCA) in the process of making the exhibition?

Workshops and working with groups have always been an important part of my practice. To be honest I was looking forward to focussing on some time in the studio on my own with this project. However, I discovered that Plymouth College of Art (which has been on my radar for some time after teaching there a few years back) had, through their inspirational principle Andrew Brewerton, set up a primary and secondary school nearby that also has making at the forefront of their work and curriculum. It blew me away, and after a visit I knew I wanted to get them involved so I could learn from their ethos and celebrate their brave path.

Routemaster, Matthew Raw Tactile exhibition. Photo by Andy Ford.

How did you go about facilitating their involvement? What’s the secret to meaningful community engagement, especially with children?

Coming into a city that I had no knowledge or experience of being in relied on working with others. Plymouth College of Art is super open and wants to champion the area, and a fantastic combination of curator Hannah Rose and gallery manager Leah Harris has meant that their contacts have helped with developing ideas. And then two enthusiastic teachers at PSCA – Lottie Slater and Diana Gillard – organised things in a lovely way that meant that we ended up working with 60 of their students that spanned six years groups. Most of these children hadn't heard of the zoo (to be fair it was open in the 60s and 70s) so we were learning together. The brief I came up with was to illustrate a story that I wrote about an elephant that came to Plymouth – it was direct, fun and allowed for all ages to have a go. The students then came to the college to print their drawings on to tiles as I wanted them to be involved in all aspects of the process. The lack of creative subjects in most schools means that I am always interested in pulling together different opportunities.

What are the most interesting things you’ve learnt about Plymouth in the process?

Post industrial cities are always very interesting to me. Plymouth isn't that completely, but it continues to experience big change. It is fascinating to see, hear about and question. It strikes me as a unique city that has very distinctive areas within it. There are of course the brands and generic shops, but the city centre is different and has an unbelievable, almost utopian layout due to the severe bombing in the war. My work for this show isn't site-specific, but I didn't want to ignore where it was. There is an energy in Plymouth, and I think it's location gives this fresh, creative lawlessness, and I really enjoy spending time there – it is an exciting place to be.

Follow Matthew Raw on Instagram to find out more about Tactile Change and keep up to date with his latest projects.

In process, Matthew Raw at the Plymouth College of Art. Photo by Sarah Parker.

The Long Read ii, Matthew Raw's Tactile Change exhibition. Photo by Andy Ford.

Progress, Matthew Raw's Tactile Change exhibition. Photo by Andy Ford.