Manchester Tiles. Where do we start? Manchester is our home and tiles are what started the entire Sculpts project, so it’s really something of an origins story. Way back when in 2020, as the world was radically reimagined under the cloud of Covid, we did what all artists do in times of trial – we made art.
At first it was just one tile illustration, but before long there was a family. A fine pen and ink style was emerging and then suddenly we had a range. The city and its history took shape before our eyes.
While our designs now feature on all kinds of homeware products, in the beginning we only had eyes for tiles. We’ve always been fascinated by ceramics, the raw earth and fire of the manufacturing process, the amazing heritage that lies so close to home, the precision, tactile feel and near-glow of the finished product.
We wanted ours to be of the very highest quality, and to capture our obsession with industrial history, as well as reflecting our place within new creative Age of Digital that has been such an important part of reimagining the city’s identity in the last two decades.
After a lot of research, we found our ideal fire glazing partner in Stoke and were ready for the first run of the full Manchester series. There was one for each letter of city’s name, each 6in by 6in, depicting a different stage in Manchester’s transformation – from post-industrial depression to technological and cultural force to be reckoned with.
The result is our proudest achievement, and nothing makes us happier than someone ordering the full set for display in their home or restaurant. Each one comes nestled in its very own case to keep it safe and make opening and gifting that bit more special.
You can take a closer look at our Manchester tiles and see Manchester’s story as well as ours spelled out in clay, fire, pixels and ink. That of an industrious group determined to make its mark on the world.
