Clay, calm and the city

Why Sunken Studio is the ceramics space for anyone ready to get their hands on something real. As summer slows and routines begin to settle, Sunken Studio - a quietly purposeful ceramics studio tucked into Leeds’ South Bank - is offering something many of us are quietly craving: space to refocus.

Somewhere away from the demands of home or work. Somewhere that asks something different of us and gives something back in return.

Founded in 2016 by award-winning ceramicist Rebecca Catterall, Sunken Studio isn’t your average pottery school. It’s an adult-only space for making that’s structured but gentle - and unusually attuned to what it means to begin again. Whether you’re new to ceramics or returning after time away, there’s room to start where you are. No prior experience is required; just a willingness to connect with something tangible - and to welcome a little material resistance. From one-off, flexible classes to in-depth six-week courses and supportive, long-term memberships, the studio offers a rhythm of learning that works around real lives.

This September, Sunken Studio opens its doors for two events that capture exactly what it’s all about:

• Makers Market: 7 September

• Open Day: 13 September

Expect sculptural ceramics and functional ware from across the studio’s growing network. There’ll be drop-in sessions, informal conversations, and the kind of quiet encouragement that comes from people figuring things out together. There’s no pressure to perform. No pressure to produce. Just time and space to explore what hands-on work can offer in real life. At a time when personal growth is so often tied to performance, productivity or perfection, Sunken Studio offers something softer. A place for your senses. A place where you don’t have to ‘be good’ at something to belong.

This is where making meets meaning - minus the mindfulness app. Because while digital tools have their place, sometimes what we need most is something solid, responsive and reassuringly physical. Something that gives feedback - even if it doesn’t speak. Clay, in this case.

There’s a grounded kind of magic in shaping something with your own hands. In the repetition of practice, in the texture and weight of earth, water and heat. It’s not just about the pots, although they’re beautiful. It’s about what gets made in the process. Calm. Confidence. Community.

Contact us

Sunken Studio

Butterley Street, Leeds LS10 1AW

www.sunkenstudio.co.uk