Tamsin van Essen - CV

 

Education

2010-2012: MA Ceramics & Glass, Royal College of Art, London

2004-2007: BA (Hons) Ceramic Design, Central Saint Martins, London

1994-1998: BA (Hons) Physics & Philosophy, Balliol College, Oxford University

 

Awards & Residencies

Artist-in-Residence, American Embassy School New Delhi 2019-2020

Hidden Gallery Residency, New Delhi 2017-2018

Siobhan Davies Dance Studio Residency 2015

Crafts Council Parallel Practices Award 2014

JCVA Residency Award, Tel Aviv + Jerusalem 2013

Craft Pottery Charitable Trust Award 2013

David Canter Memorial Award 2012

Wellcome Trust Design for Science 2nd Prize 2007

Chartered Society of Designers Student Design Award 2006

William Atkinson Scholarship, Central Saint Martins 2006

 

Public Collections

CNAP, Fonds National d'Art Contemporain, Paris, France

Montreal Museum of Fine Art, Montreal, Canada

Royal Pharmaceutical Society Museum, London, UK

The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel

University of the Arts, London, UK

Wellcome Collection, London, UK

 

Selected Exhibitions

2023

Apsrey, flagship showroom Bruton Street, London 12 July - 31 Oct 2023

Finding Family, Foundling Museum, London 17 Mar - 27 Aug 2023

2022

Hand in Hand: Making in the Modern Age, Curio, The Nehru Centre, Mayfair London 17-17 Sept 2022

Porcelain Virtuosity, Homo Faber, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, San Giorgio Maggiore Island, Venice Biennale 10 April - 1 May 2022

2021

British Ceramics Biennial AWARD Exhibition, Stoke-on-Trent 10 Sept - 17 Oct 2021

2019

Under the Skin, Royal College of Physicians, London 10 Oct 2019 - 3 April 2020

Being Human, Wellcome Collection, London 4 Sept 2019

2018

Centries of Shape, Homo Faber: Crafting a More Human Future, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice Biennale 14-30 Sept 2018

2017

L’Expérience de la Couleur, Sévres Musée National de Céramique, Paris 13 Oct 2017 - 2 April 2019

Ace Hotel Shoreditch, London 1-30 April 2017

Craftsmanship Alone is not Enough, Lethaby Gallery, Central Saint Martins, London 17 Jan - 11 Feb 2017

2016

Future Heritage, Decorex International, London 18-21 Sept 2016

Meristematic, The Royal Society, London 4-10 July 2016

Objets? Objections! XXIVeme Biennale Internationale Vallauris, France 2 July - 31 Oct 2016

Shuffle, Herrick Gallery, London 1 July - 24 Sept 2016

2015

Ma-tt-er: Living in a Material World, One Good Deed Today, London 23-27 Sept 2015

Scin Gallery, London Design Festival, London 19-27 Sept 2015

Hearts & Minds, LifeSpace Gallery, Dundee, Scotland 18 Sept - 18 Oct 2015

Time and Transition, Siobhan Davies Studios, London (solo show) 1 May - 31 July 2015

Collect Open (with Making Enhanced), Saatchi Gallery, London 8-11 May 2015

Parallel Perspectives, Summerhall, Edinburgh, Scotland 4 April - 22 May 2015

2014

Anatomy of Transformations, Museum of Life Sciences, King's College London (solo show) 14-17 Dec 2014

Pangolin Gallery, Sculpture Windows, London 1 Dec - 10 March 2015

ArtNeuro, The Rag Factory, London 6-9 Nov 2014

Youngs Masters Art Prize, Sphinx Fine Art, London 14-31 Oct 2014

Young Masters, Lloyds Club, London 16 Sept - 5 Dec 2014

2013

Beauty, SCIN Gallery, London 15 Nov 2013 - 31 March 2014

Subversive Design, Brighton Museum 12 Oct 2013 - 9 March 2013

British Ceramics Biennial AWARD Exhibition, Stoke-on-Trent 28 Sept - 10 Nov 2013

Masterpiece London 2013 (with Gordon Watson), London 27 June - 3 July 2013

10 Downing Street, exhibition in the Prime Minister's office, curated by Janice Blackburn, London 28 May - 14 March 2014

Design Days Dubai (with Galerie Sofie Lachaert), Dubai 18 - 21 March 2013

2012

Smashing, Benyamini Contemporary Ceramics Center, Tel Aviv, Israel 6 Dec 2012 - 23 Feb 2013

Sculptural Subtleties, Galerie Altena, Gorinchem, Netherlands 3 Nov 2012 - 28 Feb 2013

Biennale Interieur 2012, Kortrijk, Belgium 20-28 Oct 2012

When I Woke, Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre, Wales 6 Oct - 17 Nov 2012

Rupert Cavendish Antiques, pop-up installation with Flow gallery, London 25 Sept - 25 Oct 2012

Mint: A Spatial Surprise, Mint, London 14-23 Sept 2012

Bone, Florence Nightingale Museum, London 19 July - 30 August 2012

Scoop, Saatchi Gallery London 8-10 July 2012

Show RCA 2012, Royal College of Art, London 20 June - 1 July 2012

Collect (with Galerie Sofie Lachaert), Saatchi Gallery, London 11-14 May 2012

Paradise, Salone Internazionale del Mobile, Milan 17-22 April 2012

Peaux d'Âmes, NextLevel Galerie, Paris 15 March - 5 May 2012

Ceramic Art London, Royal College of Art, London 24-26 Feb 2012

Mirrors & Candles, Galerie Sofie Lachaert, Tielrode, Belgium 5 Feb - 8 April 2012

2011

Virus, The Barn, St Johns College Oxford 10 Sept – 9 Oct 2011

Artifact, Blythe Gallery, Imperial College, London 7 -29 Sept 2011

Le Décor est Planté, Fondation Bernardaud, Limoges 22 June 2011 – 30 March 2012

FLUX, Wallspace, All Hollows on the Wall, London 22 June - 8 July 2011

Ceramic Art London, Royal College of Art, London 25-27 Feb 2011

2010

Breaking the Mold, Spring Design & Art, Brooklyn NY 7 Oct -Dec 2010

Skin, Wellcome Collection, London 10 June - 26 Sept 2010

2009

CraftDesign, DOX Centre for Contemporary Art, Prague 16-31 Dec 2009

Okolo, Design Supermarket, Prague 10-13 Dec 2009

White Out, Spring Design & Art, Brooklyn, NY 15 Oct - 15 Nov 2009

Nature and Other Anomalies, Commissaires, Montreal 24 Sept - 30 Nov 2009

Design for Science, Reitoria da Universidade do Porto 17 Sept - 28 Nov 2009

‘Wish List’ Li Edelkoort, Pierre Bergé, Salles des Beaux Arts, Brussels 10-13 Sept 2009

Al-Sabah Art & Design Gallery, Kuwait 13 June - 11 July 2009

Collect (with Galerie Sofie Lachaert), Saatchi Gallery, London 15-17 May 2009

Kirkcaldy Museum, Fife, Scotland 9 May - 21 June 2009

Working Title, Designersblock, Salone Internazionale del Mobile, Milan 22-27 April 2009

Small Show Huge Talent, Sotheby’s, London 22 -29 March 2009

Maison & Objet, Paris-Nord Villepinte, Paris 23-27 Jan 2009

Medical Museion, Copenhagen 21 Jan - 12 April 2009

2008

Galerie Sofie Lachaert, Tielrode, Belgium (solo show) 23 Nov 2008 - 11 Jan 2009

Tina B, Prague Contemporary Art Festival, Prague 25 Sept - 15 Oct 2008

Designersblock, Covent Garden Piazza, London 18-21 Sept 2008

Kithkin Window, Selfridges & Co, London 5 Sept - 25 Oct 2008

Object as Muse, Crafts Council, Winchester Discovery Centre, Winchester8 Aug - 19 Oct 2008

Attraction/Repulsion, Galerie Vernon, Prague (solo show) 23 June - 14 Sept 2008

Pulse, Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London 1-3 June 2008

Some Rights Reserved, Salone Internazionale del Mobile, Milan 16 - 21 April 2008

Fragiles, Gallery 113, Kortijk, Belgium 15 Feb - 9 Mar 2008

Nobel Museum, Stockholm 6 Feb - 31 Aug 2008

Art Hand Design, Lethaby Gallery, Central Saint Martins, London 14 Jan - 20 Feb 2008

Interiors Birmingham, Future Trends, Birmingham 20 - 23 Jan 2008

2007

Design Miami, Marcy Building, Miami, Florida 6 - 9 Dec 2007

Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester 10 Nov 2007 - 2 Jan 2008

100% Design Tokyo, KithKin, Container Ground, Tokyo 31 Oct -1 Nov 2007

Royal Pharmaceutical Society Museum, London (solo show) 1-19 Oct 2007

Medical Heirlooms, Worshipful Society of Apothecaries London (solo show) 27 Sept 2007

New Designers Selection, Oxo Tower Gallery, London 20-23 Sept 2007

KithKin Presents, Designersblock, Shoreditch High Street, London 19-23 Sept 2007

Designboom: Handled with Care,  Designersblock, Shoreditch High Street, London 19-23 Sept 2007

Design4Science, Sunderland Museum, Sunderland 18 Sept - 28 Oct 2007

New Designers, Business Design Centre, London 5-8 July 2007

Atoms to Art, University College London 28 June 2007

Central Saint Martins Degree Show, London 16-21 June 2007

Pulse, Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London 3-5 June 2007

CSM Design Innovation, The Innovation Centre, London 14-18 May 2007

Xhibit, The Arts Gallery, Davies Street, London 15 March-13 April 2007

Direction, Lethaby Gallery, Central Saint Martins, London 22 Jan-17 March 2007

 

Academic Positions/Employment

2018-2019: Visiting Lecturer, Sushant School of Design, Ansal University, India

2016: Visiting Tutor, Clinical Humanities for Dental Students, King’s College London Dental Institute

2015: Visiting Lecturer, MDes 3D Design & Craft, Brighton University

2014 - 2017: Associate Lecturer, MA Art & Science, Central Saint Martins, London

2014 - 2015: Visiting Tutor & Course Development, Dermatology/GP Observation Skills Workshop Series, Imperial College, London

2013: Visiting Lecturer, BA Ceramic Design, Central Saint Martins, London

1998 - 2004: Commissioning Editor for Physical Sciences, Cambridge University Press

 

Other Projects

Making Enhanced www.makingenhanced.com Collaborative project between makers and writers, exploring cross- and post-disciplinary research, currently collaborating with design historian Dr Rebecca Bell www.rebeccamairbell.com 2014-2020

Indian Ceramics Triennale Symposium speaker and panellist for the first Indian Ceramics Triennale Breaking Ground Jaipur 2018

Tactile Observation Collaboration with King's College Dental Institute to develop a clay-based workshop and seminar for dental students, aimed at improving their tactile observations skills and address aesthetics, proprioception and ambiguity in dentistry, 2016

British Science Association Cross Fertilisation: new landscapes in science and the arts, panel discussion with Rob Kesseler, Sarah Craske & Charlotte Sleigh Sept 2016

Siobhan Davies Studios Three month residency at Siobhan Davies Studios working in parallel with choreographers and dance artists. In addition to an evolving installation of artwork, the residency period included giving public talks, a filmed discussion series with curator Clare Twomey, and workshops with local primary school children, 2015

Parallel Practices Crafts Council funded residency, collaborating with Dr Richard Wingate, Anatomy Dept, King's College London (http://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/what-we-do/parallel-practices/) 2014-2015

ArtNeuro Collaboration with neurobiologist Christian Matheou (www.artneuro.co.uk) 2014

Thinking Hands Symposium with Clayground Collective; discussing research into the role of ceramics and craft skills in improving tactile observation, Sept 2014

Observation Skills Collaboration with Imperial College School of Medicine to develop a workshop series to improve medical Students’ visual and tactile observation skills, haptic awareness and communication, using clay and art-based exercises, 2014

Four Rooms My Medical Heirlooms and I featured on Channel 4 Four Rooms episode 15, June 2013

Waddesdon Manor Illustrations of Sèvres porcelain commissioned by National Trust 2011

KithKin Conceptual design collective, virtual studio and ideas factory 2007-2010

Working Title Experimental design newspaper published daily during the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, Milan 09 and London Design Festival 2009

House of Fraser Lighting design commission 2008

Holešovice Prague Bone china lighting installation in former pharmacy 2008

Material+ Material-led collaboration with Staatliche Hochschule fur Gestaltung Karlsruhe 2007

Atoms to Art Art-Science symposium series and network 2007

 

Coverage in Books

The Workshop Guide to Ceramics - Duncan Hooson & Anthony Quinn, Thames & Hudson 2012

The Pot Book - Edmund de Waal, Phaidon 2011

Design & Design Book of the Year - Index Books 2009

Fragiles: Porcelain, Glass & Ceramics - R. Klanten, S. Ehmann, S. Grill, Gestalten 2008

Trends 2009/10 - K. Tallon, Anova Books 2008

Handled with Care: contemporary ceramic design - Designboom 2008

Ceramic Design Course - A. Quinn, Thames & Hudson 2007

 

Press Coverage

F Magazine (Italy) - no.17 April 2022

Commercial Interior Design - 8 Sept 2021

The Lancet - 8 Feb 2020

Art Quarterly - Autumn 2019

Ceramic Review - Issue 300 Nov/Dec 2019

The Guardian - 5 Sept 2019

The BMJ - Vol 366, 3 Sept 2019

Forbes - 28 May 2019

Le Point - 20 Jan 2018

Casa Vogue (Brazil) - Nov 2015

Financial Times - 3 Oct 2015

Blueprint -  Issue 340, May 2015

FX Magazine - March 2015

Crafts - Issue 253 March/April 2015

Ceramic Review - Issue 272 March/April 2015

Makor Rishon (Israel) - July 2014

Homes & Gardens - Trend Supplement April 2014

House & Garden - Nov 2013

Telegraph Magazine - 7 Sept 2013

Crafts - Issue 244 Sept/Oct 2013

Crafts - Issue 243 July/Aug 2013

Maison & Objets Caher D'Inspirations - No. 22 Jan 2013

Crafts - Issue 239 Nov/Dec 2012

Perspective (Hong Kong) - Nov 2012

Arts Thread - Issue 6 Oct 2012

The Times - 19 July 2012

Ceramic Review – Issue 256 July/Aug 2012

Libération - 26 March 2012

The Guardian - 19 Dec 2011

Ceramic Review - Issue 251 Sept/Oct 2011

Vivre à Limoges - July 2011

L'Echo de la Corrèze - 22 June 2011

Mix – Issue 21 Three 2010

Ceramic Review – Issue 246 Nov/Dec 2010

Crafts – Issue 226 Sept/Oct 2010

Science – Vol 329 Issue 5993 13 Aug 2010

The New Yorker - 3 Aug 2010

The Lancet - Vol 376 Issue 9736 17 July 2010

New Statesman - 9 July 2010

British Medical Journal - Vol 340 No 7761 26 June 2010

Design Week - 6 May 2010

Diseño Interior - Issue 211 Feb 2010

The Montreal Gazette - 26 Oct 2009

Voir Montreal - 8 Oct 2009

Ceramic Review – Issue 239 Sept/Oct 2009

The New York Times - 26 Sept 2009

Dolce Vita* - August 2009

Elle Decoration (Romania) - July/Aug 2009

The Times - 14 May 2009

The Independent - 10 May 2009

Evening Standard - 6 May 2009

Elle Décor (Italia) - May 2009

BMA news - 18 April 2009

ES Magazine - 20 March 2009

Art & Antiques - March 2009

BHMAdeco - Issue 16 Feb 2009

Haute (Korea) - Dec 2008

Frame - #65 Nov/Dec 2008

Crafts - Issue 215 Nov/Dec 2008

Pottery Making Illustrated - Nov/Dec 2008

Design Report - Issue 4/08

Arts Thread - Issue 1 Sept 2008

a-n Magazine - 27 Sept 2008

The Prague Post - 10 Sept 2008

Mf DNES Praha - 6 Sept 2008

Alternativa Magazin - July 2008

A2 Kulturni Tydenik - 23 June 2008

Mix Future Interiors - Issue 10 Trends 08/09

Halo - Issue 5 2008

Bloom - Issue 17 2008

Casa Life Design Magazine - Dec 2007

Financial Times - 8 Dec 2007

ICON - Issue 053 Nov 2007

Frame - Oct 2007

The Pharmaceutical Journal - Vol 279 No 7471 29 Sept 2007

Design Week - 5 Sept 2007

Evening Standard - 4 July 2007