Light | Porcelain – Margaret O’Rorke at Kwum Museum, Fiskars, Finland

Light | Porcelain, at the Kwum Museum, Fiskars, Finland, showcases a diverse selection of lights by ceramics artist, Margaret O’Rorke. The cool, pared-back environment of the Museum provides the perfect setting for O’Rorke’s softly sensuous, glowing and highly original lights. The village of Fiskars, with barely 1,000 inhabitants, was home to one of Finland’s oldest businesses  – Fiskars Bruk, iron works – founded in 1649. As the firm thrived so a village developed too, and, although the business no longer operates from Fiskars a lively arts and design community is now based around the area of the former works. The Kwum Museum was the brainchild of Karin Widnäs, herself a versatile and prolific ceramicist, whose dream of owning a house and studio in Fiskars was realised in 2005. The Museum offers a calendar of exhibitions by Finnish and international ceramicists, as well as promoting interest in and the understanding of ceramics.

Over the course of her career, Margaret O’Rorke has been captivated by the quality of light when diffused through the translucency of high-fired porcelain. She is inspired by the forms which develop on her potter’s wheel, and the light from which is projected into a space beyond the form itself. Margaret has worked in this medium for over 30 years, and trained originally in painting at Chelsea School of Art and then ceramics at Camberwell. Her innovative, revolutionary designs, and work with cutting edge light technology have caught the attention of leading galleries, collectors and clients throughout the world.

The next development for Margaret will be the creation of a range of porcelain and bone china lighting for a wider audience. Cast from the forms of her hand-crafted inspirations these new pieces will combine a timeless sense of style with an adventure in light and space, designed to both soften contemporary interiors and enhance classical environments.  Margaret will be working with the finest skilled porcelain and bone china manufacturers. Her collaborations in creating bespoke porcelain and bone china lighting concepts for larger spaces will continue in conjunction with this new venture.

The above work, at 3 metres in height, is a collaboration between Margaret O’Rorke and the Finnish art weaver, Sirkka Paikkari

Further information:

Find out more about the works in Light | Porcelain

Light | Porcelain will be on exhibition until September 27 2020 | www.kwum.fi

www.castlight.co.uk | www.karinwidnas.fi

Images: Rauno Träskelin