John Grayson
Flags, Flags, Flags
John Grayson is an established automata maker, enameller, and educator. Trained in 3D Design at Wolverhampton University, specialising in fine metalwork, Grayson developed a passion for decorated metal that later became the focus of his doctoral research into the eighteenth century Midland enamel trade. His PhD positioned him as both custodian and revivalist of this trade, reanimating the lost craft of 18th century enamelling through meticulously crafted narrative objects and automata.
Drawing on the traditions of West Midlands metalwork, Grayson’s creations are eloquent commentaries — satirical, poetic, and politically resonant —crafted with intellectual rigour and technical virtuosity. Influenced by folk tales, political satire, and the aesthetics of Victorian tin toys and Georgian enamelware, his automata invite audiences to engage with complex narratives in playful, kinetic form. His enamel pieces revive defunct industrial techniques, situating industrial making heritage firmly within contemporary discourse.
Grayson’s work is held in national collections and exhibited internationally. His recent achievements include a residency with King’s College London’s Department of Informatics, commissions and touring exhibitions with Unravelled Arts, participation in the Crafts Council’s Curios Turn, and a lottery funded solo exhibition at Bantock House Museum, Wolverhampton.
For this exhibition, Grayson presents Flags, Flags, Flags, part of a triptych of automata synthesising local and national news to explore the sociopolitical landscape and the decline of the high street in postindustrial towns. It draws on stories of George Crosses appearing across the West Midlands and the transformation of a Dudley sex shop into a church. It combines vitreous enamelled copper dioramas with brass mechanisms, animated scenes that audiences can operate, offering satirical yet celebratory reflections on everyday life.
West Midlands