Turning Earth Events

16-17 September Turning Earth Tottenham 11-5pm

Get ready to immerse yourself in a world of artistic mastery and creative inspiration as the highly anticipated Turning Earth Ceramics Market returns to Crawley Road on September 16th and 17th. This two-day event promises to be a celebration of craftsmanship, culture, and community, featuring a stunning array of over 80 talented makers showcasing their unique handmade ceramics.

‍Event Highlights:

‍Artisan Showcase: The Ceramics Market will host a diverse assembly of 80 skilled artisans from across the four Turning Earth studios, all gathered under one roof to showcase their exquisite handmade ceramics. From intricate pottery to awe-inspiring sculptures, visitors can expect to discover an assortment of artistic treasures. In a world driven by mass production, finding unique, ethically and locally crafted treasures has become a true delight. The pieces you will find at the market are also a testament to time-honoured techniques, creativity, and the genuine connections that are established between the maker and the buyer. When you choose handmade ceramics, you're not just acquiring a beautiful item; you're investing in a story that reflects the rich heritage of our local artistic community.‍

Live Music and Culinary Delights: The ambiance of the event will be further enhanced by live folk music performances by the critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter Theo Bard. Attendees can also taste a selection of street food offerings from the new Bolland & Crust Café, who have organised a special menu for the weekend. Craft beer, wine and a special tiki-style cocktail bar are on the pipeline too! ‍

Demonstrations and Interactive Experiences: The Ceramics Market is not just an exhibition; it's an opportunity to engage and learn. Admire the magic of the potter's craft with throwing and handbuilding demonstrations, and for those feeling adventurous, the "have-a-go wheel" offers a chance to try pottery-making under the guidance of our expert teachers.

But that's not all! The entire Crawley Road area will come alive with the Open Studios Weekend. Explore a vibrant tapestry of creativity as art exhibitions, boutique market stalls, more music and food sparkle the neighbourhood. Families can partake in a variety of kid-friendly activities, such as face painting, “have a go” workshops and flower crown making, ensuring that every member of the community can share in the joy of this cultural celebration.

24-25 June 2023 Turning Earth Leyton 11-5pm

On 24/25 June, Turning Earth will be holding a huge artisan ceramics market in our members’ studio on Argall Avenue, Leyton E10. There will be over 100 artists selling their hand-made ceramic wares over the course of the weekend. Come and stroll around the beautifully converted industrial building just down the road from Lea Bridge station, and browse through the work of over 100 ceramic artists. With live music from local musician, Zoot Lynam and locally made artisanal food sold alongside beautiful tableware and sculpture, it is all set to be a wonderful summer weekend - perfect for a day out!

Being regularly featured in Time Out and the Evening Standard and popular now all over London, the market is an East London gem, with people coming from all over the capital to buy hand-made ceramics directly from the maker.

Aside from the many hand-made wonders on sale, visitors will be able to watch live demonstrations as our members will be showcasing their skills on the potter’s wheel.

Turning Earth's Summer Market will again be part of the Argall Ave Open Studios. The entire Argall Avenue industrial estate has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years, with a wide variety of artisan businesses, with everything from hand-made furniture, craft beer and sourdough baking.

In 2017, Dominic Wilder, the visionary behind MentmoreStudios, refurbished an old hardware factory in the Argall Ave industrial estate to establish a new home for creative businesses in small-scale production.

11 Argall Avenue now houses some of the East London's most exciting makers, including carpentry businesses WilderCreative, and thinkFOUND, artisan bakery Pavilion, and open-access ceramics studios, Turning Earth.  On the weekend of 24/25 June, the businesses will open their doors to demonstrate the breadth of making processes taking place under one roof and to show visitors some of the beautiful objects being created on-site.‍

WILDER CREATIVE Designs and makes bespoke furniture and fitted joinery for high end residential and commercial markets.

‍Furnishing Futures Furnishing futures helps women and children who are living with furniture poverty, because having a comfortable home supports wellbeing and helps to break the cycle of poverty.

‍SASA Works The artistic works of Craig Bamford, artist architect designer and master craftsman.

‍Studio Hako Studio Hako is a design and build construction company specialising in modern commercial and residential projects.

‍thinkFOUND Is an environmentally conscious furniture company making tables to order using reclaimed wood.

‍PAVILION BAKERY Uses the spices of Sri Lanka to enrich locally-sourced ingredients with a flavour of past adventures. It's fresh loaves hit the shelves warm and are sold on the day.

1-2 April 2023 Turning Earth Highgate 11-5pm

Turning Earth markets are back for another celebration of hand-made ceramics with our spring makers’ market the weekend of the 1st/2nd April in our Highgate studio.

Come and wander around the beautifully renovated 1930s industrial building just minutes’ walk from the Highgate station, and browse through the work of over 100 ceramic artists. With live classical guitar music and locally made artisanal food sold alongside beautiful tableware and sculpture, it's a great excuse for a day out shopping. It's also a sure way to buy ethically - every pot sold at Turning Earth has been made locally, by hand, by someone who loves what they do.

Turning Earth's markets are the biggest of their kind in the UK. A not-to-be-missed opportunity to pick up ceramic treats for yourself and gifts for your friends. There will be live demos of pots being thrown on the wheel so you can come and experience a real-life working pottery studio.

19/20 November Turning Earth Tottenham 11-5pm
3/4 December Turning Earth Leyton 11-5pm

The Turning Earth markets return this winter with another jubilant celebration of pure human creativity.

On 19/20 November and 3/4 December, 100 ceramic artists come together across two market weekends at the Turning Earth studios in Tottenham and Leyton. Each market will be accompanied by open studios from neighbouring businesses, including furniture makers, house plant stylists, and vintage fashion stores, among others.

As usual, you can expect making demonstrations, live music, mulled wine and mince pies, street food vans and barista coffee, and an Aladdin's cave of ceramics from the most diverse, high-quality selection of artists you could find in one place anywhere.

By shopping handmade, you'll support the life-affirming creative experiences that give rise to each piece. You never know, perhaps the maker-space spirit will rub off, and you'll decide that now is finally the time for you to sit down and start making things again yourself.​

‍Crawley Road Open Studios 19/20 November
Turning Earth Tottenham is located within the newly launched Crawley Road studios complex, which is holding its first open studios during the market weekend on 19/20 November. Creative businesses opening their doors include vintage clothes houses, handmade chandelier makers, photographic studios, and a terrarium workshop. There'll be food from barbecue specialists Bolland and Crust and barista coffee from Handles Coffee Cart. The studios are located close to Lordship Recreation Ground in Tottenham, and about 7 minutes walk from Turnpike Lane station on the Piccadilly Line.

‍Argall Avenue Open Studios 3/4 DecemberArgall Avenue Open Studios returns alongside the Turning Earth Leyton market. Coffee comes from Climpsons and there'll be pop-up food stalls from Sourdough Daali and Shakti Cafe, alongside a maze of open studios to wend your way through - from the beautiful but still affordable furniture of social enterprise ThinkFOUND to a pop-up Botanical Fair, the very first from Plants by There.

15/16 Oct 2022 Turning Earth Highgate 11-5pm

Turning Earth opens its fourth London ceramics centre  - this time in Highgate - with a weekend maker market on 15/16 October.  Nose around the beautifully renovated 1930s industrial building complete with contemplative garden, and browse work from a hundred of London’s up and coming ceramicists.

Show solidarity with local makers as they express their creativity in the face of the energy crisis and rub off some of the peace that comes with working with the calming medium of clay.

As usual, there’ll be street food and live Klezma music, and - inspired by the Spring’s #CookForUkraine campaign - this time they’ll be selling specially donated wares to raise money for displaced children supported by UNICEF as part of  #MakeForUkraine.

4/5 Dec Turning Earth Leyton 12-6pm
18/19 Dec Turning Earth Haringey Launch 12-6pm

After a long wait, the Turning Earth Ceramics Markets are returning this year, as we get together to celebrate the creativity that comes from crisis and reflect on the changes to our lives and making practices that the disruption of the pandemic brought with it.

The pandemic has impacted our making practices in many ways: while some have had more time to reflect and to make, others have been thrown into childcare and had little time for themselves at all. Wheel throwers have tried handbuilding techniques when their studios were shuttered, while some other makers have turned to the kitchen cupboards to find tools to experiment with when they couldn't leave their homes.

And many, many ceramics lovers have been unable to see work in person - to examine or touch it, let alone meet the maker, as shopping moved online.

So, with a great hurrah, we are happy to announce that we will be holding two in-person, real-life markets this year, where our makers will be selling work made during and since the lockdowns.

The first market in Turning Earth Leyton will be held on the weekend of 4/5 December, and the second in our new site in Haringey on the weekend of 18/19 December. As always with our markets there'll also be live music and street food and mulled wine to buy. Come and make a day of it.

Sat 30 Nov / Sun 1 Dec Leyton 12-6pm
+ Argall Ave Open studios

Sat 14 / Sun 15 Dec Hoxton 12-6pm
+ @carve.london woodware market

TURNING EARTH HOXTON + CARVE LONDON 14/15 DEC The Turning Earth Hoxton market returns on 14/15 December, with 75 different makers, this time based out of our Hoxton studios. We'll have street food, coffee from Climpsons and live gypsy jazz from George Risk. You can watch demos in wheel throwing and other pottery techniques throughout the day with the option to have a go yourself. Buy specially donated pieces to help raise money for Hackney Migrant Centre.

The market continues at Big Sky studios next door, where an arch is being taken over by wood ware curators carve.london to showcase handmade functional wood work from some of the UK's most inspiring contemporary maker.

‍ABOUT CARVE.LONDON Now in it's second year, carve.london is curated by highly regarded greenwood makers, Hackney Road’s Barn the Spoon, and Grain and Knot, one of the UK’s leading wood ware Instagram channels. 12 of the UK's best loved woodworkers will be selling small giftable items, including foraged timber homeware and beautiful basketry. London'sGreenwood Guild will demonstrate with lathes, and they'll even bring along a forge so you can get your knives sharpened in time for Christmas.

Sunday 16th June, 11 am: Connoisseurship in Ceramic Art and Design
Sunday 16th June, 2 pm: The Body as Vessel and the Vessel as Body

‍
Location: Turning Earth Learning Hub, Argall Avenue, London E10 (near Lea Bridge)

‍Our new collaboration with Wendy Gers, award-winning curator, consultant and scholar of ceramic art and design, ushers in a new era of ceramics education at Turning Earth.

‍The lectures are open to everyone, non-members of the studio included.

Please book in advance as there are limited spaces.

Saturday 18th May, 1 pm

‍In Production houses up to 25 early-carer makers, providing them with unlimited any-time access, 24 hours a week. Members mix glazes and fire their own kilns.Moving to new premises in Lea Bridge, London E10 in April, the new studio will include top-of-the-range wheels, electric kilns, a gas kiln and a glaze spray booth.Please book in advance as there are limited spaces.

24/25 November: Turning Earth Hoxton

8/9 December: Turning Earth Leyton

After a year's hiatus, Turning Earth's popular East London ceramics studios are once again opening their doors to the public over two major Winter Market events on 24/25 November and 8/9 December.

‍150 makers, two events
Now in it's fourth year, what was once an off-the-beaten track event involving a handful of our budding artists has now become a beloved institution for the East End's community of design-lovers. 150 of London's most exciting emerging makers - enabled to begin a career in ceramics out of Turning Earth's co-work studios in Hackney and Leyton - will sell their work from two of Turning Earth's East London centres across two weekends in the run-up to Christmas.‍

24-25th November, Hoxton
The first event, on the weekend of 24th and 25th November, takes place in the  flagship Turning Earth centre in the railway arches in Whiston Road in Hoxton. Turning Earth has teamed up with neighbouring arch residents Big Sky Studios to accommodate the large numbers of people that now regularly attend this popular event (and who queued patiently outside Barbican Conservatory for Turning Earth's last market there in March.) Additional space means Turning Earth can bring back some old faces, including beloved former members that began their journey at Turning Earth and whose businesses have since spread across the country.

‍8-9th December, Lea Bridge
Then on 8/9 December the new Turning Earth centre at 11 Argall Avenue, Leyton, will open its doors, where another set of artists will sell their products, alongside members of Turning Earth's  professional studios, In Production, London's first professional ceramics incubator, which now houses 22 full-time making businesses. Other companies in the Argall Ave area, including furniture makers ThinkFOUND, Uncommon Projects and A.White Workshop will also open their doors for the weekend.  

‍Live music
It wouldn't be a Turning Earth Market without an appearance from members of Balkan Klezma band The Turbans, who will be playing at the event alongside other musical guests.  The Turbans loyally return each year despite growing international renown that has seen them migrate from the fringe to main-stage spots at major summer festivals.

‍Food and drink
And of course it wouldn't be a Winter Market without spiced hot drinks and minced pies. Climpson will serve its world famous coffee, beans roasted around the corner in nearby Broadway Market. Turning Earth's neighbours at East London's Pavilion Cafe will be offering their delectable take on Sri Lankan street food while donating the proceeds to charity.

‍Made with care
Pavilion will be joined in its fundraising efforts by the many Turning Earth makers who donate special pieces and seconds at each event to raise money for organisations that reflect Turning Earth's vision of building a community with open arms - this year proceeds go to Help Refugees and the Hackney Migrant Centre.All electricity used to fire the kilns at Turning Earth now comes from renewable sources. The studios will encourage shoppers to play their part by asking people to bring in their old bubble wrap to be reused as packaging.