at Central Saint Martins.
Clay Lab
Clay Lab transforms ceramic practice into shared knowledge: turning experimentation, discovery and making into a living resource for future learning and innovation.
A shared platform that captures and connects knowledge generated through making, Clay Lab brings together student and faculty projects, material experiments and case studies to reveal the processes behind ceramic practice.
Neither static nor archive, Clay Lab is a living tool that supports learning, collaboration and discovery, transforming individual experimentation into collective knowledge.
We are a community of teachers, technicians, students and alumni who identify ceramic design at Central Saint Martins as a space of innovation and research.
Key projects
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Design Transforms Borders, New York Design Festival 2022 | Photograph: Neal Camilleri.
Design Transforms Borders
At @NYCxDesign 2022, Central Saint Martins invited the public to join a live studio of ceramic-making dinners and debates, addressing learning and social justice with the communities of Sunset Park, Brooklyn, New York.
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Decoding Ceramics project design.
Decoding Ceramics
An open-access platform sharing the Erasmus+ CRAFT project outputs: an interactive European map pinpointing ceramic skills, materials and traditions; university teaching cards adaptable to studios; and a multilingual glossary .
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Art codes, courtesy of CSM Clay Lab.
Artcodes
Beauty meets function in decorative ceramic patterns that secretly contain visual codes. Working with designers and a restaurant, we developed recognition tech and pattern collections and prototyped smart tableware with an app.
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Photo courtesy of Tony Quinn, CSM Clay Lab.
Craftsmanship Alone Is Not Enough
Clay isn't just traditional—it's radical. We explore how makers exploit clay's archetypes and processes to challenge assumptions, unlocking new perspectives on ceramic practice, from studio to society.
See more
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Photo: Marcus Bastel
Anthony Quinn
Reader, Course Leader and Stage 3 Leader, BA (Hons) Ceramic Design; Subject Leader Ceramics, MA Design: Ceramics, Furniture, Jewellery, Central Saint Martins
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Image courtesy of Anthony Quinn
CRAFT: Activating Pedagogy for Ceramic Education Future
Erasmus+ funded research project.
1 September 2020 – 31 August 2023 -
'Indefinite Sensibility' by Remi Russo, 2021, BA Ceramic Design, Central Saint Martins, UAL
Bridging heritage skills and innovation in ceramics training
Inside the CRAFT European partnership, exploring how innovations in ceramics can co-exist with intangible cultural heritage and knowledge in pottery.
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PsychoPomp, Alex Morante, BA Ceramic Design 2025
BA (Hons) Ceramic Design
The transformational material of clay: exploring contexts of making, craft and manufacture.
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Alice Beckett 2025, BA (Hons) Ceramic Design, Central Saint Martins, UAL.
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