Edible Conversation to be on display from September 22

Edible Conversation, on display at the Fine Foundation Gallery in Durlston Country Park, Swanage, from September 22 to October 8, marks 23 years of 15 Days In Clay, a Poole-based ceramics project for adults with learning difficulties and additional needs.

Janna Edwards, ceramicist and founder of 15 Days In Clay, said: "The words are statements of sustenance for the soul that validate and confirm their outlook."

Ms Edwards launched the project in 2003 with a 15-week funded course, and it has since grown into a programme that supports up to 40 artists, some of whom have been involved since the beginning.

Janna Edwards with totems (Image: 15 Days In Clay)

The exhibition features hand-built animal totems around five feet tall, representing values such as love, loyalty, laughter, strength, courage, magic, and family.

These totems serve as guardians of the space and carry a banquet of clay food items adorned with positive affirmations.

In contrast, they are set against ‘worry monsters,’ pieces that reflect artists’ lived experiences, social anxieties, and inner turmoil.

Ms Edwards said: "There are some fun pieces – the pie in the sky has clouds and suns coming out of it, there’s a stargazy pie with fish poking through, our fish finger sandwiches are made of fingers with fishtails – but other things are upsetting.

"One of the artists was told they were ugly.

"They felt judged, as if they were not ‘beautiful’ or ‘acceptable’ to society, so they made a piece using those words that shows them wearing a judge’s wig."

A standout feature of the exhibition is a four-foot-high ceramic cake on a revolving stand, telling the 23-year journey of the project through elements from its previous group shows.

Ms Edwards said: "Over this time, the work has become more and more ambitious, larger scale, with a clear narrative that evokes a genuinely emotional response from viewers."

Artist Mathew Hawes working on the positivi-teapot (Image: 15 Days In Clay)

Visitors are invited to enjoy a cup of ‘positive-tea’ courtesy of Dorset Tea, served from a clay tree trunk teapot.

There is also a ‘suitcase of emotional baggage,’ where visitors can write down and post their own worries.

The exhibition also features poems by award-winning poet and author Shaine Singer.

He wrote: "So, pull up a pew and enjoy the view,

"And welcome to Edible Conversation, our 23-year brew."

For more information, visit the 15 Days in Clay and Durlston Country Park websites.