Feat of Clay

Tom Morris meets ceramic artist Andile Dyalvane during his residency at Bernard Leach’s workshop in St Ives, where he has continued to draw upon his Xhosa heritage while also taking inspiration from the Cornish landscape and the tradition of British studio pottery

- Tom Morris

I take these opportunities to experiment and explore new things. I like to find out what the environment has for me,’ says ceramic artist Andile Dyalvane. He is sitting in the studio at Leach Pottery – a workshop in St Ives, England – founded by master potter Bernard Leach in 1920. Nearing the end of his two-month residency, Andile is reflecting on the body of work he has created. ‘It’s always good to be away from your day-to-day base.’ Deep involvement with cultural context and vernacular ceramic traditions has underpinned Andile’s career. With his stoneware vessels, which range from 30 centimetres to 1.3 metres tall, he draws upon his Xhosa heritage and tells all manner of narratives. They are symbols imbued with meaning.