Original version

BBC World Service Online

The Forum

Documentaries

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media

The programme that explains the present by exploring the past

The programme that explains the present by exploring the past.

The Forum: Clay

Discussion & Talk

Guardian (Detail) by Claire Curneen.  Photo: Dewi Tannatt Lloyd

27/06/2015 GMT

Clay

BBC World Service - The Forum, Clay

The joys and perils of porcelain, kaolin and volcanic soils

The joys and perils of clay. With Chinese-American writer Huan Hsu, Irish ceramic artist Claire Curneen and British geologist Tim Jones.

It is one of Earth’s oldest building materials, a natural seal against water, useful for paper making, medicine and lots of other things. Bridget Kendall and guests discuss clay. Why it is so useful, why so many cultures treasure it but why it can also be a source of serious ill health. Chinese-American writer Huan Hsu explains the importance of porcelain in China, Irish ceramic artist Claire Curneen introduces us to the powerful visual language of clay, and British geologist Tim Jones studies a particular type of clay which causes a debilitating illness affecting millions of people in the developing world.

(Photo: Guardian by Claire Curneen. Credit: Dewi Tannatt Lloyd)

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Forum

Clay

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service Online

About BBC World Service