How Our Pieces Are Made + What They’re About

Memory first. Play second. AI somewhere in the middle.

At BelfastDelft, every tile begins with a memory, a sketch, or a story too good not to share. Kiln-fired in our Belfast studio and inspired by 17th-century Dutch Delftware and further back Ming Dynasty porcelain, each piece is reimagined through a modern, mischievous lens.

It all starts in the mind, a half-remembered scene or quick sketch that sparks a smile. From there, I use AI to generate an image, after which I cut, paste and play until something absurd, delightful, or unexpectedly tender appears.

THE AILEPHANT IN THE ROOM 

Some of the feedback about the AI element — not all of it positive — has actually fed into the work itself. It’s made me look hard at what it is I’m doing, why I’m doing it and to what end. That’s what happens when you experiment: things evolve. More and more, these pieces look at AI and laugh back at it, while also gently poking fun at some of the more absurd arguments against using it. From the very first pieces, there has always been an absurdity to them - the quirky ones that is — a reminder that creativity is still gloriously human, and that we don’t need to be afraid of the machine.

As John Cleese said, creativity isn’t a talent — it’s a way of operating. In our studio, curiosity wins. Play wins