Delicate porcelain vessels stand on a shelf, obscured by frosted glass. These vessels tell a story. A story of homecoming. For world-renowned ceramicist Edmund de Waal that story is personal. He is the son of a refugee. In 1939 his Jewish father, then just a boy, aged nine, fled Vienna with his unc…
In this public lecture, Edmund De Waal discusses place and displacement in poetry and the visual arts. His talk draws from his own family history and his practice as an artist and a writer. Professor Sir Keith Burnett, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield, said: “Edmund is an acclaimed artist and author, but more importantly he has the greatest empathy for the people and journeys which make up our history. ‘On the Eve of Departure: Homelessness, Exile and Art’ is part of the University’s annual Festival of Arts and Humanities and the city’s wider Year of Making 2016 - a festival to demonstrate that making is in the city’s DNA, from advanced manufacturing to arts, music and theatre.