The shape of the past

In 1984 Torvill and Dean won Olympic gold with the Bolero, Tommy Cooper died, the Apple Mac was born, Band Aid’s Do they know it’s Christmas? brought tears to our eyes and Ambrogio Pozzi designed his iconic Totem vase.

The fashions and events of the day have a big influence on designers, say Robin and Patricia Silver, who have tied social history and news into an exhibition at the Home Store, Salt’s Mill, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of Rosenthal’s famous Studio-Line pottery.

Pat has nicknamed the Pozzi vase “Shoulder pads” which were ridiculously big in the 1980s but thanks to some detective work they also know that the designer himself sees it in a more spiritual way “as an object for meditation… conveying a sense of tranquillity”.

He is one of a number of Rosenthal designers who the Silvers managed to contact to add a more personal touch to the exhibition, which features 50 iconic pieces – mainly vases – manufactured by Rosenthal between 1961 and 2011.

Rosenthal were happy for Pat and Robin to put their own spin on the display that is on show at a handful of carefully chosen European venues. “We first saw the exhibition in Germany earlier this year and loved it. Rosenthal have always been really innovative and we knew people would be interested because Rosenthal was often on wedding lists in the 60s and 70s,” says Pat. She has styled the display using old newspapers sourced on eBay.

So the stand features front pages revealing everything from Elvis’s death to the marriage of Kate and Will.

She and Robin have also put together a catalogue for visitors detailing events that were taking place at the time each of the Rosenthal designs were being created.

It’s a great nostalgia trip complemented by comments from the designers they managed to make contact with.

“I love to know the story behind things though finding the designers was quite a task in some cases. We got Sharon Yang by writing to an old postal address of a friend of his in Germany, but it was worthwhile and interesting.

“Designers don’t work in isolation from the events around them,” says Robin, who likes Pozzi’s observation that his Totem isn’t just for flowers.

“I just think that’s so important,” says Robin, “because most of the time vases don’t have anything in them.”

Studio-Line 1961-2011 is at the Home, Salts Mill, Saltaire until the end of September. www.thehomeline.co.uk. Most of the Studio-Line pieces on display are available to order and some have been re-issued for this year only. Prices range from £30 to £422.