Breast Plates Event at Pottery Café, Fulham

No matter how much we try to live well, there will always be times when the decision is taken out of our hands. At those times, all we can rely on is that others will be there to support us.

One in eight women will be affected by breast cancer in their lifetime. This figure won’t shock many people. It is well publicised, but more importantly, there will not be many of you reading this who have not witnessed someone close to you go through the ordeal of such a diagnosis.

Luckily the work of organisations such as Cancer Research UK, have made fatalities less and less common. But their research would grind to a halt without the fundraising efforts of individuals all over the country. Thankfully there are countless. This just happens to be a bit more imaginative than most.

When we think of a Pottery Cafés, as we so often do, we tend to picture hoards of excited children happily decorating ceramics with custom designs of Pokémon and Power Rangers. (I fear I may have just given away my age.)

If we were to picture the events occurring on the first week of October I feel the dynamic of many Pottery Cafés could change considerably. On 3 October the Pottery Café on Fulham Road will be opening it’s doors for an exclusive evening of breast printing. Women from all over the capital will be coming down to print their breasts onto plates and decorate them however they choose. The resulting designs will then be exhibited (anonymously) two weeks later. My perception of Pottery Cafés may never be the same again.

The printing event, which takes place between 18.30 and 22.00, costs £20. This covers the cost of the ceramics, as much tea and coffee as you can drink, and a charitable donation to Cancer Research UK. Participants are welcome to bring added refreshments for no corkage fee. All those who take part in the printing will receive free entrance to the exhibition that will run between 19.30 and 22.00 on 17 October. It costs £5 for the general public.

The exhibition will be accompanied by live music and a raffle hosted by Haven, a separate organisation which provides care for the victims of Breast Cancer. This event is, in essence, all about care. It’s about caring enough to do something that may put some people outside of their comfort zone.

The printing will of course be done in privacy. The anonymity of the exhibition is ensured. In my experience, however, having been present last year at Breast Plates’ inaugural event, this is an opportunity to share. It is a chance for women to get together and talk about an issue that is sadly omnipresent. As a man it is something that I can perhaps only speculate about, but speaking to participants in last year’s event, there seems to be something empowering about sharing an otherwise private part of your body for such a worthy cause.

Pottery Café
735 Fulham Road
Fulham
SW6 5UL

Tel: 020 7736 2157