We check out the British Ceramics Biennial, a festival in Stoke-on-Trent that celebrates contemporary ceramics from across the world.

Launched in 2009 with a festival celebrating contemporary ceramics from across the world, the British Ceramics Biennial is a biannual festival in Stoke-on-Trent, home to iconic brands such as Wedgwood. Seen by many as a city in decline, Stoke is in fact the vibrant home of the UK’s ceramics industry and source of much contemporary and exciting work, as evidenced by this the fifth iteration of the festival. Leading London-based designer and ceramicist Ian McIntyre curated Brown Betty: An Everyday Archetype, an exhibition that included Lee Miller?s photograph (above) among many examples of the ways in which the iconic teapot, originally made from red clay discovered in Stoke-on-Trent in 1695 but much copied, has seeped into British and global culture.
McIntyre has also reimagined the Brown Betty to create the perfect teapot ? complete with a non-drip spout, a lid that won’t fall off mid-pour and an inner casing to hold tea leaves ? in a limited edition of 500 available for sale at the intentionally accessible price of just £28 (about $37 USD).

Josiah Spode l acquired the Spode Works site in 1776 at the height of the industrial revolution and Spode wares were made there until just nine years ago. At its peak, Spode was one of the largest potteries in Staffordshire, employing approximately a thousand people. Today it is...