2018 Catalogue Archive

While testing glazes for a line of ceramic tableware, design team Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby became enamored with the imperfections caused by the interaction between glaze and clay. This fascination led to 16 ceramic works that show signs of Barber and Osgerby’s experimentation. The designers notched, folded, pierced, and stamped the clay slabs before pouring slip over the surface and letting gravity and texture dictate the coverage. This intuitive process gave Barber and Osgerby a break from the more regimented production they follow in their careers designing manufactured goods. Based in London, Barber & Osgerby was founded in 1996 and has designed for Vitra, Knoll, B&B Italia, Flos, Venini, and Hermès. Their works are held in numerous public collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago.