About Pottery course: handbuilding techniques

Tuesdays 22, 29 April, 6, 13 and 20 May 2025

2.30 - 4.30pm

Join our five-week ceramics course led by resident potter Bahareh Khomeiry, designed for all skill levels. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced ceramicist, you'll explore a range of handbuilding techniques, including pinch, coil, and slab construction. Under Bahareh’s expert guidance, you’ll develop your skills at your own pace while experimenting with surface decoration techniques such as slip, underglaze, and sgraffito.

This course offers a welcoming, creative space for anyone looking to refine their craft or try something new.

About Bahareh Khomeiry

With a background in architecture, Bahareh Khomeiry’s journey in ceramics began out of fascination with the rich history of traditional tile-making in her home country, Iran. Her curiosity about how these tiles were made led her to pursue another BA in Ceramics, and since 2017, she has been a dedicated potter and tile artist.

Now based in the UK, Bahareh furthered her artistic ceramics practice by completing an MA in Ceramics at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA). Her work blends traditional craftsmanship with contemporary techniques, offering a diverse approach to creating ceramics.

Bahareh explores the act of constructing and assembling elements, seeking balance in the process. Inspired by the way Persian domes are built—layer by layer, with each brick playing a vital role—she applies this method to ceramics. By combining hand-building and throwing techniques, she creates forms that are both structured and fluid.

Her recent series, Hair as Freedom: Cut Plaits, is a tribute to the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement that emerged in Iran in 2022. Witnessing the courage of Iranian women who removed their headscarves and cut their hair (plaits) in defiance of oppression deeply impacted her. This series captures their journey, from entrapment to liberation, and ultimately to unity. Cut Plaits represents these brave women fighting for their rights.

A large ceramic mural connected to a swimming pool. The mural has green tall tress and a face like the sun shining through the trees.
The artist Bahareh Khomeiry working painting a colourful ceramic mural