Tiles as Topography: A Two-Day Ceramic Workshop at 421 Arts Campus

Imagine taking a simple clay tile and coaxing it into a landscape of your own creation. At 421 Arts Campus, ceramic artist Parneet Pahwa invites you to explore precisely this possibility through an intimate two-day studio intensive that reimagines the relationship between material and form.

The workshop, titled ‘Tiles as Topography’, unfolds across two contemplative days in November. On the first day, you will study references drawn from natural erosion patterns and aerial perspectives, gathering visual language before translating these observations into clay. The process begins with building your initial tiles, each one a foundation for what is to come.

The second day deepens the work. Here, you will incorporate slips and underglazes into your surfaces, then employ graffiti techniques to introduce movement and life to the sculptural forms. The beauty of the workshop lies not only in individual creation but in collective vision: as the two days conclude, all tiles are assembled together into one shared terrain, a collaborative landscape that speaks to the power of unified artistic intention.

You will depart with a series of sculptural tiles that will be fired two weeks after the conclusion of the workshop, allowing time for contemplation before the final transformation by heat and flame. Beyond the tangible objects, the experience offers something equally valuable: a new methodology for working with clay, one that might reshape your creative practice entirely.

No prior experience is required. The workshop takes place on November 7 and 8, from 11 AM to 3 PM each day.