The Sculpts, a prominent decorative homeware and lifestyle brand based in Manchester, proudly commemorates the successful culmination of their collaboration with Manchester Museum. This exceptional partnership has resulted in a captivating assortment of bespoke illustrations, artfully capturing the museum’s entire collection.
Working closely with the Museum’s curatorial team, The Sculpts have spent a year getting under the skin of each individual collection to produce a distinctive and challenging new MANCHESTER ceramic tile series.
Each tile concept is themed around a different letter, rendered in The Sculpts’ signature style – highly detailed and witty pen and ink illustrations. The resulting vignettes show both the artefacts themselves and the stories that surround them.
Across the series, a range of themes have been explored, reflecting the museum’s commitments to sustainability, biodiversity, and inclusivity, making each tile a powerful compact narrative on its own terms.
The first tile – M – is for Manchester Museum itself, while the first E is for Elephant, and depicts the tale of 150-year-old Maharajah, and his bizarre journey on foot from Glasgow to Manchester. The series also pays tribute to the City’s ties to China and South East Asia, the extraordinary pre-historic artefacts, and the work the Museum is undertaking to help protect biodiversity in the Rainforests of Panama and Costa Rica. Complementing the tiles series is standalone tile celebrating the ways that bees have been used symbolically throughout history across cultures, and pared back companion illustrations of the main series to be used on greetings cards.
The project has coincided with the renovation of the museums’ Oxford Road site. Museum Director Esme Ward, who helped lead the collaboration, said:
“This collaboration with The Sculpts has been a pleasure to watch unfold, and a beautiful encapsulation of everything we’ve focused on during the recent transformation at Manchester Museum.
“From highlighting our commitment to biodiversity, to celebrating our most popular exhibits, our local archaeology, and our relationships with communities, each individual illustration weaves together artefacts, heritage and culture. Artwork is a powerful tool for change. This new range demonstrates the change we’re going through now, as well as the ongoing story of change that is our great city of Manchester.”
The Sculpts is a brand born and bred in Manchester, specialising in surreal yet soulful designs that pay homage to the industrial spirit of the city and its surrounds. At the helm is illustrator and architect Richard Bennett. The Sculpts’ designs are brought to life by Richard to feature across its distinctive range of ceramics, prints, and textiles. Strongly evoking the heart and heritage of Manchester, intricate detail and meaning lies behind each and every design.
The collaboration with Manchester Museum marks the latest of several prestigious projects with leading Manchester institutions. Previous partners include the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester Central Library and the National Trust.
Richard Bennett, Founder and Designer at The Sculpts commented: “Collaboration is at the heart of our creative philosophy, and our partnership with the Manchester Museum has been a fantastic opportunity to explore and celebrate the archives and culture of such a respected establishment.
For more information on the collaboration and browse The Sculpts collections, visit: www.thesculpts.com
