Made in China

Introduced in 1813, Spode's Chinaware pattern is renown for being one of the world's first mass produced designs. The original design illustrates a tranquil and iconic depiction of China (during the Qing dynasty). Fast forward 200 years, and our depiction of China is far from such an idyllic place.

'Made in China' felt rather fitting as a name for this piece. I wanted to use this iconic plate design to create a new narrative of China in context to modern globalization. Subtly replacing the landscape where the scene tells the story of how factories now replace shrines, humble fisherman and their boats replaced by mass export, blossom trees vanished and replaced by pollution and dotted throughout, the emergence of environmental devastation begins to appear. Weaving into this tapestry of detail you can see some familiar brands, such as Apple, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger all symbolic of designed goods made in China.