A King’s Appetite

A new commission by British Sculptor Laura Ford.

The sculptural installation takes its inspiration from the Royal Pavilion & Museums collections, including caricatures by James Gillray and George Cruikshank, satirising aspects of the life of the Prince Regent (later to become King George IV), and imagery found in the Willett Collection of Popular Pottery.

Ford’s work always shows a curiosity with the human condition and wider social and political issues and often mixes the bitter-sweet with wit. These works explore socio-political notions of excess, greed and indulgence and the Imperialist attitudes they reflect. Her works are also always carefully crafted and this commission included works made in a range of media including ceramics, sewn textiles and plaster, to create sculptures that are both rich in narrative and visually enticing.

As the commission’s title A King’s Appetite suggests, the imagery found in the works relates to contemporary issues pertinent to Excess, the theme of HOUSE Biennial 2017, looking at the subsequent inequalities of both the Regency period and of society today.

Commissioned by HOUSE Biennial in partnership with Royal Pavilion & Museums.