Reference: GASPARIAN001
Title: Crossroads
Date: 2020
Author: Maria Gasparian
Details: A collection of ornamental bricks, tiles and paviours
Media: Ornamental Bricks
Credit: Courtesy of the artist

Description: Crossroads was inspired by my background coming from a country situated on the Silk Road, on the crossroads between East and West. Patterns and geometrical motifs were transported by craftspeople and architects who travelled across the Middle East, Far East and Europe.

It was through this inter-cultural exchange that Islamic and Arabian motifs were combined with Christian themes. The geometry of the modules in the collection allows for their integration into various designs and a diverse range of patterns.

Walls, pavements, landscaping features and street furniture elements can be created through the arrangement of contrasting colours and glazed and unglazed textured surfaces.

Reference: GASPARIAN002
Title: Ceramic City Bench
Date: 2018
Author: Maria Gasparian, Photographs by Agnese Sanvito
Details: Ceramic City Bench for London Festival of Architecture
Media: Ceramic Bench
Credit: Courtesy of the artist

Description: The Ceramic City Bench was constructed out of standard clay bricks that have been sculpted while raw, coloured and glazed. Colours and motifs of the seat offer a playful pattern that reflects the history of the site and contrast with monochromatic urban surroundings.

It offers flexible seating arrangement to rest, have lunch and work. It aims to attract different ages. The modular design of the bench allows it to be extended and arranged in various ways to fit different sites. The colours and patterns of the surface of the bench were inspired by the multi-layered context of the City of London.

Its tactile surface offers surface qualities that would be difficult to achieve outdoors with any other material. The design maximises its unity, giving maximum opportunity for people to sit but not lie. It was shortlisted for the UK Brick Award 2018.

Reference: GASPARIAN012
Title: Firing
Date: 2017-2021
Author: Maria Gasparian
Details: Brick from collection of bespoke ceramic pieces
Media: Brick
Credit: Courtesy of the artist

Description: Over the past four years, I have been developing a collection of bespoke ceramic pieces that can be incorporated into structures, buildings and landscaping. Some of them I have made in a ceramic studio, others are manufactured at brick factories. All of the pieces are created using a combination of digital and ceramic craft tools.

Reference: GASPARIAN011
Title: Contour
Date: 2017-2021
Author: Maria Gasparian
Details: Brick from collection of bespoke ceramic pieces
Media: Brick
Credit: Courtesy of the artist

Description: Over the past four years, I have been developing a collection of bespoke ceramic pieces that can be incorporated into structures, buildings and landscaping. Some of them I have made in a ceramic studio, others are manufactured at brick factories. All of the pieces are created using a combination of digital and ceramic craft tools.

Reference: GASPARIAN013
Title: Handled
Date: 2017-2021
Author: Maria Gasparian
Details: Brick from collection of bespoke ceramic pieces
Media: Brick
Credit: Courtesy of the artist

Description: Over the past four years, I have been developing a collection of bespoke ceramic pieces that can be incorporated into structures, buildings and landscaping. Some of them I have made in a ceramic studio, others are manufactured at brick factories. All of the pieces are created using a combination of digital and ceramic craft tools.

Reference: GASPARIAN015
Title: Shattered Earth
Date: 2017-2021
Author: Maria Gasparian
Details: Brick from collection of bespoke ceramic pieces.
Media: Brick
Credit: Courtesy of the artist

Description: Over the past four years, I have been developing a collection of bespoke ceramic pieces that can be incorporated into structures, buildings and landscaping. Some of them I have made in a ceramic studio, others are manufactured at brick factories. All of the pieces are created using a combination of digital and ceramic craft tools.

Reference: GASPARIAN014
Title: Jaquard
Date: 2017-2021
Author: Maria Gasparian
Details: Brick from collection of bespoke ceramic pieces
Media: Brick
Credit: Courtesy of the artist

Description: Through collaboration with brick manufacturers, I explore how standard clay products can be transformed to create unique pieces. My ‘Jacquard’ and ‘Handled’ bricks were part of this exploration.

Reference: GASPARIAN016
Title: Glazed Roof
Date: 2016
Author: Photograph by Maria Gasparian
Details: Tiled roof
Media: Photography
Credit: Courtesy of the artist

Description: I took this photograph on a research trip to Hungary in 2016. The tiles were made at the end of the 19th Century by the local Zsolnay Porcelain manufacturer. The brightly coloured glazes were created at the factory and are frost-resistant. This example inspired me to bring vibrancy and the use of colour into city spaces through my work.

Reference: GASPARIAN006
Title: Alvar Aalto
Date: 1997
Author: Richard Weston
Details: Internationally renowned as one of the major overall achievements of modern architecture, the work of Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) is deeply rooted in the culture and landscape of his native Finland.
Media: Publication
Credit: wikipedia.org/Alvar_Aalto

Description: The work of Alvar Aalto celebrates the unity of art and architecture and embodies a sensitive and expressive use of materials, something that I reflect in my own work.

Reference: GASPARIAN007
Title: Ceramic Craft Tools
Date: 2021
Author: Maria Gasparian
Details: Ceramic Craft Tools
Media: Tools
Credit: Courtesy of the artist

Description: Clay is an amazing malleable material which can be stamped, carved and formed into almost any shape. I use ceramic tools for sculpting my pieces out of clay, for decorating them with pigments and glazing before and after they are fired. I use special fan brushes, which allow me to apply ceramic pigments and underglazes in a painterly manner by layering them. Some of the brushes are specific for applying glazes.

Reference: GASPARIAN005
Title: Khachkar [Cross Stone]
Date: 2019
Author: Unknown. Photograph by Maria Gasparian.
Details: Stone crosses in Central Europe are usually bulky Christian monuments, that were almost always hewn from a single block of stone, usually granite, sandstone, limestone or basalt. They are amongst the oldest open-air monuments.
Media: Photograph
Credit: wikipedia.org/Stone_cross

Description: A cross stone, or a Khachkar in Armenian, is a traditional medieval stele in my native Armenia. Cross stones are intricately carved with geometrical, floral and religious motifs, creating three dimensional stone lacework.

Reference: GASPARIAN009
Title: Glazed Mugs
Date: 2019
Author: Lisa Hammond. Photograph by Maria Gasparian.
Details: Photograph of ceramic mugs taken at the Ceramic Art London show, CSM.
Media: Ceramics
Credit: lisahammond-pottery.co.uk

Description: Soda-glazed mugs have unique textural and craft qualities and colours created in the firing process. I aspire to create such craft qualities in architectural ceramics.

Reference: GASPARIAN008
Title: Prudential [Guaranty] Building
Date: 1896
Author: Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler. Photograph Maria Gasparian
Details: The Guaranty Building, formerly called the Prudential Building, is an early skyscraper in Buffalo, New York. The building has been declared a National Historic Landmark.
Media: Architecture
Credit: wikipedia.org/Prudential_(Guaranty)_Building

Description: The lavishly decorated cornice of this building, which was created at the beginning of the 20th century from sculpted terracotta elements, is both ornamental and functional, resonating with my work. The deep floral relief, finished off by hand, reflects the craftsmanship of the makers.