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Brutal Shapes: Members' Vase Casting Workshop

Part of Make! The New Brutal

Image of Brutalist Sculptures Jesmonite vases by phil Cuttance part of Make the new brutal

Take inspiration from our Brutalist fortress in this casting workshop led by designer/maker Phil Cuttance

Phil shares his innovate casting process using Jesmontie, a fine cement. You'll select and assemble your own architecturally inspired mould, chose colours and blending effects and cast your own vase.

Ticket price includes complimentary refreshments.

Please note that vases will be taken back to Phil's studio where he will demould and treat them. You can choose to have your finished vase posted or you can collect it from the Barbican Shop. Please note that this can take up to one week. Please make sure to check the shop’s opening times before you travel.

  • All materials are provided
  • No experience required
  • Workshop duration: 2 hours
  • Maximum capacity: 14
  • This workshop can get messy – please dress accordingly
  • This workshop has an age restriction of 16+. Participants below the age of 15 must be accompanied by an adult

For inspiration

a beautiful black and white picture of the barbican when it was first being built

Building the Brutal

Photographer Peter Bloomfield was commissioned by the Barbican to document the final stages of building's construction. His beautiful images - which have never been shared with the public - capture the astonishing scale of the construction effort. 

About the maker

Phil Cuttance is a London-based designer/maker from New Zealand.

He's interested in methods of making which endow his objects with visual clues as to how they are made. Their complex forms and sharp lines mean it is sometimes assumed they have been made using CAD software, CNC machining, or 3D printing, but closer inspection reveals that they are all handmade. Often tiny imperfections, a result of the processes by which they are made, give this away.

Visit his website.

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