Clay 1666|Adam Weismann

Adam Weismann’s latest work, Clay 1666, invites audiences to contemplate clay not simply as a material, but as a living archive of history, memory, and time.

This triptych combines London-sourced clay and oak, held within walnut frames. The materials have been compacted, charred, cracked, and carefully shaped, embodying a process that conveys both endurance and fragility.

The work draws inspiration from the Great Fire of London in 1666, which devastated the medieval City of London; the overwhelming impact on the city’s inhabitants is well known. By working with clay and oak, materials historically fundamental to London’s architecture and identity, Weismann invites us to consider how these materials were also impacted by this experience, and ask: do these elements retain echoes of the past within their very structure?

Clay 1666 ultimately becomes a meditation on memory, ancestry, and interconnectedness. Just as humans are shaped by the joys, struggles, and resilience of our ancestors, natural materials can also bear these stories. By weaving together the narratives of clay, timber, and fire, Weismann asks how nature itself can serve as a vessel.