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