National Festival of Making – Poured Earth

Art in Manufacturing: Matter at hand + Darwen Terracotta & Faience.

Part one of a two-year residency, Jones has been exploring the fundamental properties of clay, the huge potential held in earth construction and the slip-casting expertise at Darwen Terracotta.

Matter at hand is the design practice of Lewis Jones, a designer working across architecture, material science and construction. His work is rooted in an investigation of the materials and processes that shape our built environment. Through deep material research and hands-on experimentation, he works with waste, industrial by-products, and natural resources to develop more resourceful and equitable ways of building.

Jones co-founded the architecture and design collective Assemble in 2010, helping shape an award winning body of work setting out to rethink how buildings are made and who gets to make them. From 2012, he led a long term collaboration with residents of the Granby Four Streets in Liverpool to help rebuild their neighbourhood, a project awarded the Turner Prize in 2015.

In 2016, he moved to Liverpool to oversee the growth of Granby Workshop, a design led ceramics manufacturer rooted in the neighbourhood. Over seven years, the Workshop evolved into a thriving, employee owned business producing architectural ceramics from local waste materials, while acting as a live testing ground for sustainable materials and finishes.

In 2025, Jones established Matter at hand, a research-based design studio, guided by the belief that inventive and unexpected solutions to the problems at hand can be found in a deeper understanding of the materials and resources around us.

Darwen Terracotta is a leading manufacturer of architectural terracotta and faience, specialising in both historic restoration and new-build projects. With a passion for craftsmanship and innovation, the company also trades as Whitebirk Sink Company, applying its expertise in ceramic manufacturing to produce premium fireclay ceramic sinks. A double winner at the Red Rose Awards 2025 for the “Made in Lancashire” and “Export” categories, Darwen Terracotta continues to showcase the excellence of British manufacturing on a global stage by blending traditional techniques with modern design.

This is the fourth Art in Manufacturing residency hosted by the industry leaders, who have supplied products to international artists including Grayson Perry and the House of Essex and Richard Deacon, and been involved in prestigious architectural projects internationally across restoration and new build, from the Natural History Museum and the Royal Albert Hall to The Londoner at Leicester Square.