MAKERS | EUROPE | ITALY | CERAMICS
Giuseppe Parrinello | Ceramicist
Italian-born UK-based ceramicist, Giuseppe Parrinello, makes old world-inspired vessels and objects by pouring liquid clay into plaster moulds he has sculpted - a method called 'slip casting' - before drying and painting the moulds. One of a mere few to specialize in the technique at Central Saint Martins, Giuseppe trained under Plaster Technician, David Richards, who, "taught me everything I know about mould making".
What inspires your work and desire to create?
I'm inspired by anything that refers to Roman or Greek antiquity. Cliché, I know, coming from someone with an Italian heritage, but there you go! I'm constantly referencing their motifs when thinking of new work; their illustrations, shapes and materials often find their way into my pieces. From interiors by [Italian architect] Piero Portaluppi, to the private collection of Pierre Bergé [partner of Yves Saint Laurent and co-founder of the YSL brand], I'm addicted to buying books on interiors or private collections. One of the main themes for me when designing or thinking about work is where they will sit within a space.
What does a typical working day look like for you?
A typical day starts with a short cycle into Hoxton for 9am, where my studio is currently. I have to have music or something on in the background, a silent studio always puts me on edge. At the moment, I'm working on a new series of quasi Roman-Greco heads that I'm casting along with some new candle holders.
It's still early stages, so I'm trying to figure out what material of ceramic I want to finally make them in, which means I’m constantly stirring gallons of slip (liquid clay) before I can pour them into my moulds. While they’re casting I'll be finishing pieces I've made during the week, releasing plates of hump moulds that have been slowly drying and getting them ready for the kilns.
Generally, towards the later part of the afternoon, I'll start to decorate or at least begin the sketch motifs onto my pieces so they are ready to paint onto. I’m generally jumping from one workstation to another as all my work is in various stages of completion till the final firing. Vessels in collaboration with Gergei Erdei.
Vessels in collaboration with Gergei Erdei.
Where is home?
I currently live in Newington Green, [in north east London]. I've been here for six years now and I absolutely love this area. It feels slightly off-the-beaten-track from Dalston and it's very green too, with lots of trees. Clissold Park is just around the corner, and it’s got a good balance of everything: local community, the best greengrocers and great places to eat. I relax with a Gibson and dinner with friends.
The best and worst things about being a maker today?
For me, the best thing about being a designer and maker is that I get to use my hands and be creative. I think all creatives love to see sketches evolve and become living objects. The worst, Instagram, but I feel it's a necessarily evil. One I'm not great at staying on top of.
Vessels in collaboration with Gergei Erdei.
What would you be doing if you weren’t a maker?
I'd have to own a small restaurant, seven to ten covers. I love cooking, one of the only things that can help me remain present. Growing up, my Nonna Maria was the matriarch of the whole family, they lived next door, obviously, so I spent most of my time growing up with her in the kitchen, watching and listening to her tales of the ‘old country’. During the lockdown I started a food blog called Cucina Quarentena, based on recipes from my Nonna. It's now been published in hardback.
An artist you’d collect if you could?
The painter, John Singer Sargent; I remember finding a book on him when I was in secondary school. I love his paintings of glamorous Edwardian society women dressed in yards of fabric.
Interview by Camilla Frances
Images from Giuseppe Parrinello