Emily Stapleton-Jefferis (she/her)
Emily: Emily Stapleton-Jefferis graduated in 2018 with an MA in Ceramics and Glass from The Royal College of Art, where she was awarded The Griffin Scholarship and The Eduardo Paolozzi Travel Award. Since graduating Emily has been developing both her sculptural practice focusing on ceramics, and her socially engaged practice where she works across many mediums with a wide range of people.
Emily has completed a number of artist residencies, most recently at St George’s Hospital in London, as well as at Camden Arts Centre, Hogchester Arts, and The Leonora Carrington Museum in Mexico.
She has exhibited her work alongside fellow artists in a range of venues in the UK and abroad including at the British Ceramics Biennale in Stoke-on-Trent, at MK Calling in Milton Keynes Gallery and at Kew Gardens. Her work is held in private and museum collections.
Jack Alexandroff (he/him/they)
Jack: I’m Jack Alexandroff, an artist at the intersection of imagination and discovery. I'm an animator, filmmaker, and educator. My educational work, from analysing ancient mosaics to leading innovative arts workshops, focuses on exploring and understanding media. In my creative work I'm known for my playful yet effective solutions. Always curious, I embrace each project with a desire to make discovery a part of everyone’s lives. Whether you have a project in mind or are simply curious, I welcome all inquiries. You can also reach out for dynamic organizing of my network of skilled artists and artisans.
With academic roots in Animation and Documentary Animation, I bring a critical and creative perspective to my projects. Whether it’s for industry giants or educational initiatives, my approach combines storytelling with a deep dive into the narratives that shape our perceptions.
Prototaxites
Prototaxites was commissioned by the London Fungus Network for their first ever Fungus Fortnight; 14 days of fungi inspired talks, walks, workshops and events. It has subsequently been exhibited at Kew Gardens and Omved Gardens, London.
The sculpture was made in collaboration with the artist Jack Alexandroff and residents of Waltham Forest. It is a reflection on the overlap between clay, fungi and collaborative art practice. Participants rolled coils and added pinch pots according to patterns laid down by past participants like structures growing from genetic information, all guided by us. Participants became the microbes at the end of our hyphae.
Its form is based on that of Prototaxites - a prehistoric fungus of outsized proportions, the Tyrannosaurus rex of the fungal world. It lived 400 million years ago at a time when only millipedes, insects and worms crawled on the land and the only plants were liverworts clinging to rivers. This mushroom-like being grew 9 metres tall and would have dominated the landscape.
The sculpture contains internal pockets to hold mycelium grown on food waste. The holes allow edible mushrooms to periodically fruit.
Websites:
IG:
@jackalexandroff
Photo Crediting: Jack Alexandroff (1), Will Hearle (2-3)
