Elly Glossop
Porcelain maker
Copenhagen, Denmark
An exploration of time in porcelain
- Elly makes porcelain works defined by lines and organic forms
- She has developed a signature technique to pour and layer clay during the making
- She sometimes includes found materials in her pieces
"The essence of my craft is a study of time and timelessness through objects that feel surreal and otherworldly,” says porcelain artist Elly Glossop. A graduate of the Royal Danish Academy in Bornholm and the Royal College of Art in London, she was shortlisted for the Officine Saffi Award in 2020, marking the beginning of her professional career. Elly developed a technique she calls 'increment forming’, a reinterpretation of slip casting in which she slowly rotates liquid Parian porcelain over a plaster mould, building delicate, rhythmic lines that record movement and duration sequences. Alongside this refined body of work, she developed her Tephra series from recycled cracked or failed pieces. “I reprocessed the clay and began experimenting with adding other elements to create a contrasting energy,” explains Elly.
INTERVIEW
At the Royal College of Art, I began building forms through rotating slip in a mould rather than pouring it. One of my first successes was a large oyster shell in Parian porcelain. It marked the moment the technique truly came together for me. When Prince Charles visited, I was asked to show him the piece. I began selling work to collectors, and everything aligned very quickly.
It is a piece called Rift. It resembles an open shell or vessel that stands on its side. For me, it comes closest to perfection within the increment forming technique: it holds the essence, a stillness and calmness. The rhythm of the lines is completely perfect. It was included in my 2023 solo exhibition with Koppe Contemporary Objects.
Textures and patterns found in the natural world, such as rocks, minerals and objects I find along the way inspire me. I once found a piece of plastic on a beach in Morocco that had been eroded. It was impossible to identify, and I loved that ambiguity. I am inspired by natural history museums, including the Ashmolean Museum., as well as by mapping and topography.
Much of my process comes from play and freedom. I try not to impose too many constraints. I sketch a lot and take photographs. Often, when I am making a piece, it feels like déjà vu. My pieces are linked to a lot of different processes, memories and places I have travelled to. The work feels like a coming together of many fragments.
Elly Glossop
Porcelain maker
Copenhagen, Denmark
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
PHONE
+45 50454723
LANGUAGES
Danish, English
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