This weeks commissions included a whole variation of assignments. Including a feature on mountain E-biking, a delicious food shoot in Faversham and my highlight of the week photographing Clare Twomey at Tate Exchange.

Clare Twomey transforms Tate Exchange into a working factory

The artist Clare Twomey has created a working factory, with eight tonnes of processed clay, a 30-metre production line, workers, a wall of drying racks and over 2,000 fired clay objects.

Tate Modern to play host to a working ceramics factory

Inside the Blavatnik building, at Tate Modern visitors are invited to watch the process or physically clock in and help mould or cast the jugs, teapots and flowers being produced.

Twomey has designed the installation to send the visitors on a journey. The first thing people will encounter will be huge pyramids of commercial unfired clay closely followed by a production line with 20 trained workers, all volunteers working simultaneously.

Then comes the really exciting part. Moving to the far end of the room, where a sea of plain white pottery sits on wooden shelves. The idea is to find a piece you like and swap it with the one you have just made.

There are 2,000 items in all – jugs, mugs and gentle curving coffee pots, all produced by Dudson of Stoke-on-Trent, who worked with Twomey for six months ahead of the exhibition.

On arrival I first encountered the eight tonnes of beautifully stacked clay. Instantly I knew this was the ideal place for a portrait. Clare was very busy with the installation of the factory and being distracted by phone interviews. I originally tried the shot on available light. But could see that by setting up lighting I would achieve the effect of the varied gradients of colour upon the clay. Once Clare was ready I made sure the key light was perfectly upon Clare.

Both Clare and I were really happy with the results. The only disappointment being that I didn’t get to go away with one of Clare’s creations..there’s always a next time!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/went-potty-tate-moderns-ceramics-factory/