Brand Story

Welcome to Orla Culligan Ceramics, an handmade ceramics studio with a fresh take on Irish ceramics.

 

I make unique slipcast ceramics for the home in Clonakilty, Cork.  I strive to provide high quality products that bring joy to the owner’s home and to keep my business sustainable by having as little waste as possible and a low environmental impact.

 

 

The original inspiration for my work comes from finding ‘rubbish’ washed up on the beaches where I grew up in East Cork.  I walk along the beach, flotsam and jetsam is tangled among the seaweed. Its bright synthetic man-made colours sing out. On closer scrutiny these objects have a gorgeous range of textures where the sea has intervened, seams and edges have softened, yet there is still evidence of the making process, of the machine.

 Although rubbish, these objects in the sand create a visual dialogue. It is off balance, but strangely appealing. A random still life, an accidental composition. Emerging from this inspiration I have created an extensive range of products that bring joy to the home and light up the room, a colourful collection of elevated homewares. I explore function and the aesthetic of the domestic, through pieces that are intended to be held and used. In addition, recycled broken ceramic with Jesomite create quirky accessories, turning the undesirable into the desirable.

 

 

I studied ceramics at Limerick School of Art and Design. I received a BA (Hons) in Ceramic Design and won The Blue Egg Gallery Award for my graduate collection.

After finishing in Limerick, I went on a residency to Guldagergaard Ceramic Research Centre in Denmark where I worked as a studio assistant. Danish design has always been a love of mine and a big influence in the aesthetic of my work.