My new book on mid-century modern Italian ceramics, Alla Moda, has just arrived, and the exhibition is about to be launched. Sitting last night looking through the book made me remember the long journey I’ve made putting it together. I also thought about all the elements that went into making it, here are some statistics:
3,064 – kilometres (1,904 miles) travelled by plane on a return journey from London Gatwick to Pisa with British Airways
1,689 – kilometres (1,050 miles) travelled by car around the UK on photoshoots
988 – kilometres (614 miles) travelled through Italy in a speedy Fiat hire car
749 – metres above sea level – highest altitude reached while researching (Monte Titano)
478 – high resolution digital photographs shot by (mainly) a professional photographer
54 – centimetres (21.75in) of shelf space taken up by new books added to my library
16 – museums and archives visited
11 – nights in Italian hotels
9 – Italian cities, towns, or villages visited
5 – days of a professional editor’s time
4 – days of a professional designer’s time
1 – kind mayor who granted me special permission to see the town’s ceramic archive
Plus, an estimated…
80+ antiques and collectors fairs visited with Italian ceramics in mind, and countless visit to antiques shops and centres.
10,000+ individual ceramics handled and inspected collectively by Graham Cooley or me
5,000+ web pages visited and read, including eBay listings
And…almost precisely 6 years in the making – since we first properly considered the subject at the launch of the first Fat Lava exhibition in July 2006.
Click here to be amongst the first to read Alla Moda by ordering your copy now.
