Neha Gawand Pullarwar

Material and Industry Cultures: Mapping Mumbai and Stoke-on-Trent through Clay

For Materials and Industry Cultures, Neha Gawand Pullarwar draws inspiration from the first wave of the Industrial Revolution which shaped both Stoke-on Trent and the colonial Bombay Province in Mumbai. 

Industrial development, driven by the cotton trade in Mumbai and the ceramics trade in Stoke-on-Trent meant both cities changed significantly. Destruction, violence, and commotion were all part of the transition to becoming new modern industrial cities. Neha explores the similarities of these two histories and narratives using clay. She has met with local artists, walked around the city and its canals to get a sense of the connection between the two cities, and worked from the British Ceramics Biennial studio. 

Through this work, Neha has looked at lesser-known links between two historically important industrial cities of India and England. She has combined cartography and landmark icons through a series of panels and installations. Some works show the topographical changes in the two cities with graphical images using transfers and drawings. There are physical similarities in the industrial landscapes of the two cities with the chimneys of the cotton mills of Mumbai (the only remaining icon of the textile industry in the city) echoing the bottle kilns of Stoke-on-Trent. 

Neha created this work while taking part in an artist residency at the BCB Studio as part of the International Exchange Programme in partnership with the Indian Ceramics Triennale.

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The 2023 British Ceramics Biennial has now ended. Thank you to everyone who showed support by visiting, attending events and sharing your experiences on social media.

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This exhibition is funded by Charles Wallace Trust India.