The idea of Kidda Kups came after looking through the inspiration of artists and gathering my ideas to form one general consensus of my work was aiming towards the themes of clay and narrative-so this was something i would need to play with.
There was just one question that keeps reoccurring and that was should the stories of narrative be General of Stoke, Personal of Stoke or Personal and inclusive in the sense of being a relatable narrative. If it was general, the theme may get quite dark with the current status of Stoke, thus taking away that pleasure of drinking and learning. This could however be a political statement to show background of creation thus making people appreciate pottery more in quite a more strongly opinionated way.
If I were to characterise the people as i have done with my own family with people such as Honey B, Aunt Smoke, The Biggs etc this could allow people to learn of all ages of the narrative by still keeping the narrative clean and relatable but also not forcing a personality onto the mug allowing people to enjoy their drink and almost treat it as a story time cup.
For instance my uncle Raymond who i could state as Runaway Raymond.
Story here-
RAY SMITH IS A MAN WITH QUITE A STORY.
RAY WAS A BEEFEATER FOR OUR ROYAL MAJESTY, THE QUEEN. AS STILL AND AND SOLEMN AS THE NIGHT AIR THAT SURROUNDED HIM, HE STOOD GUARD, STANDING AS VIGILANT AS THE MOON IN THE NIGHT SKY. BEING A BEEFEATER WAS NOT SIMPLY A JOB THAT HE PUT DOWN WHEN HE WENT HOME (AND HOME WASN’T A PLACE HE WENT TO OFTEN). THIS WAS A LIFESTYLE. EVEN SO, HIS HEART WAS RACING. HE YEARNED FOR SOMETHING, OR SOMEONE…
STOKE AND LONDON WERE SO SIMILAR, RIGHT DOWN TO ITS SMOKY STREETS. BUT LONDON DID NOT HAVE JOAN SKELLAM… OR OATCAKES. RAY WANTED TO RETURN TO HIS TRUE LOVE, BUT, LOOKING AT HIS WORKING HOURS, IT WAS NEAR IMPOSSIBLE… BUT NOT COMPLETELY SO. RAY REALISED HE HAD A TWENTY-FOUR HOUR PERIOD FOR WHICH HE COULD GO BACK TO STOKE. THIS TRIP WOULD BE DIFFERENT. HE WOULD FIND JOAN AND RETURN TO LONDON A MARRIED MAN.
SO, RAY WROTE A LETTER TO JOAN WHICH HELD THE DETAILS FOR A MAGNIFICENT WEDDING THAT COULD TAKE PLACE IN SUCH A SMALL TIME. AFTER ALL, HE HAD BUT TWENTY FOUR HOURS IN WHICH TO DECLARE HIS UNDYING LOVE IN FRONT OF ALL WHO WISHED TO ATTEND.
WHEN ALL WAS ARRANGED, RAY ONLY HAD TO WAIT FOR THE BIG DAY TO ARRIVE. THE WEEKS DRAGGED BY, BUT SOON THE WEEKS TURNED INTO DAYS, AND BEFORE RAY KNEW IT, THE DAY WAS UPON HIM.
ON THIS VERY DAY, TRY AS HE MIGHT, HE COULD NOT STAND STILL BECAUSE EXCITEMENT WAS COURSING THROUGH HIM AND TAKING CONTROL OF HIS LEGS! YET HE SHAKILY STOOD, EAGERLY WAITING FOR THE EXCHANGE OF THE GUARDS SO THAT THE BIGGEST DAY OF HIS LIFE COULD BEGIN.
FROM THE MOMENT HE WALKED OUT OF THE PALACE, RAY’S LEGS COULD NOT MOVE QUICK ENOUGH, FOR THERE WAS NOT A SECOND TO WASTE. HE RAN IN HIS BEEFEATER UNIFORM AND JUMPED STRAIGHT ONTO THE TRAIN, DISREGARDING A SUIT CHANGE BECAUSE TIME WAS OF THE ESSENCE.
HE SAT THERE, ONLY ABLE TO SEE THE BLACK FUR OF HIS HAT. MERE SECONDS HAD PASSED BEFORE THE PASSENGERS SAW THAT THEY SHARED A CARRIAGE WITH A MEMBER OF THE QUEEN’S GUARD. THEIR HANDS REACHED OUT AND SWIPED THE BLACK FUR OUT OF RAY’S FACE. THE PASSENGERS WERE SURPRISED AND HAPPY TO SEE THAT HE WAS SMILING!
THEY HAD MANY QUESTIONS, BUT WHEN NEWS GOT OUT THAT HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO MARRY THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE, THEY SPRUNG TO ACTION AND RALLIED TOGETHER TO GIVE HIM A SPRUCE-UP THAT HE HADN’T THE TIME FOR. AN ELDERLY WOMAN WITH A KIND FACE AND GENTLE HANDS GAVE HIM A SHAVE, WHILE A YOUNG MAN SHOOK HIS HAT OUT THE WINDOW TO REMOVE THE DUST AND YELLED ORDERS FOR THE OTHERS TO LOOK FOR AFTERSHAVE AND GIVE HIS SHOES A SHINE.
THE TRAIN ARRIVED AT STOKE, AND RAY BADE THE PASSENGERS FAREWELL, HUGGING THE ELDERLY WOMAN AND THE YOUNG MAN BEFORE HE SQUEEZING OUT OF THE DOORS. EVERYONE WAVED FROM THE WINDOW AND WISHED HIM GOOD LUCK. RAY RAN INTO THE ROAD OUTSIDE THE TRAIN STATION AND FLAGGED DOWN A CAR. THE DRIVER WAS STARTLED AS RAY PILED INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT, PLEADING WITH HIM THAT HE GET RAY TO THE WEDDING.
RUNAWAY RAY WAS NOT A MINUTE LATE.
RAY DABBED AT HIS BROW, STRAIGHTENED HIS COLLAR AND CUFFS JUST MOMENTS BEFORE JOAN GRACEFULLY STEPPED INTO VIEW, HER ELEGANT HANDS CLUTCHING HER BOUQUET OF YELLOW ROSES AND CLASPING HER FATHER’S ELBOW.
JOAN LOOKED AS BEAUTIFUL AND AS HAPPY AS RAY REMEMBERED.
THEY SPED THROUGH THEIR VOWS AND HASTILY SAID “I DO”, SO THAT THEY DIDN’T WASTE MORE TIME. THE SMALL RECEPTION WAS A GLORIOUS CELEBRATION OF HAPPINESS, WHERE EVERYONE THAT RAY AND JOAN LOVED DRANK TO THEIR HEALTH, TOLD STORIES ABOUT THE COUPLE, LAUGHED AND DANCED. INDEED, SOMEONE HAD BROUGHT HP SAUCE WITH THEM, REMEMBERING THAT IT WAS THE LOVE OF THIS UNASSUMING BROWN SAUCE WHICH HAD BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER. TIME PASSED ALL TOO SWIFTLY BEFORE RAY HAD TO LEAVE FOR WORK SO THEY HAD ONE LAST DANCE AND A SWEET EMBRACE BEFORE RAY RAN FOR THE TRAIN BACK.
FOR HE RAN, AND HE RAN, AS FAST AS HE COULD, MANAGING TO CATCH THE LAST TRAIN BACK TO LONDON. HE SAT BY THE WINDOW, STARING AS THE POT BANK SCENERY TRANSFORMED INTO FIELDS AND TREES. IT HAD HAPPENED ALL SO QUICKLY, BUT THE RING ON HIS FINGER WAS ENOUGH TO REMIND HIM THAT IT WAS REAL, AND FOREVER.
RAY ARRIVED IN EUSTON, LONDON, GOT OFF THE TRAIN AND SPRINTED TOWARDS BUCKINGHAM PALACE, WHICH WASN’T EASY AS HE WAS FULL FROM CAKE AND PORK PIES. THE CLOCK WAS TICKING BUT WITH EVERY HEARTBEAT HE GOT CLOSER… THE PALACE WAS JUST IN SIGHT… AND JUST LIKE THAT, HE STOOD BACK AT HIS POST, WITH A SPARKLING RING ON HIS LEFT HAND.
THERE WAS NEVER A BEEFEATER WHO HAS HAD A WIDER SMILE THAN RAY BEFORE OR SINCE.
Of course with would be a story too big for the inside of the mug so maybe a placard next to it, but this is something i could experiment with when i get the chance.
This is what the cup could possibly look like 1-Design
1
Aunt Smoke 
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