Radicalism is in the DNA of Stoke-on-Trent, in the English Midlands. Josiah Wedgwood, founder of the renowned ceramics brand and one of the men who in the 18th century helped transform a group of small towns in the British countryside into one of the pottery capitals of the world, was known for his experimental approach and his progressive politics.

Yet, in the past few decades, Stoke has seemed a long way from the avant-garde. Some of its oldest and most venerable companies have closed in the face of competition from countries with lower labour costs and tens of thousands of skilled craftsmen have lost their jobs.

Now, however, it is once again embracing its long-lost radicalism. The strongest evidence of this is the British Ceramics Biennial, which launches in the north Staffordshire city on October 3. A 10-week, city-wide event, it will highlight design and showcase contemporary, often very cutting-edge, ceramics. It will combine exhibitions of work made not just locally but all over the world with a long-term programme of residencies, fellowships, business support schemes, workshops and education projects.

At its centre, says co-director Barney Hare Duke, will be the British Ceramics Awards and an accompanying exhibition will show pieces by 27 shortlisted participants at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery (a former ceramics factory that was forced to close following the 1956 Clean Air Act).

Other highlights will include a display of work by Jaime Hayón, the Spanish designer who created the giant chess set in Trafalgar Square for last week’s London Design Festival, and Fresh, a showcase of pieces by 42 recent ceramics graduates, both hosted by local pottery Emma Bridgewater. There will also be an exhibition, Our Objects, featuring work by well-known experimental practitioners such as Barnaby Barford and Richard Slee.

A plate by New English

The biennial’s emphasis on cutting-edge ceramics might surprise visitors who associate Stoke-on-Trent with conventional crockery and perhaps even shake up what some perceive as the conservative mindset of the city’s population. In terms of its future survival, the city is struggling against “insularity and a lack of confidence”, argues Paul Bishop, a local entrepreneur and co-founder with his wife, Judith, of an avant-garde business called New English. It manufactures the refined but edgy work of ceramics students from Staffordshire University.

“This lack of confidence is caused by the traumas of job losses and the demise of the big-name companies, and translates into a very conservative approach to product development,” he says. “As a consequence, other markets lose confidence in Stoke. At a time when there is a demand for new ideas, many ceramics businesses are steadfastly sticking to the same old stuff. Most fail to recognise that to make way for new ideas they have to let go of long-in-the-tooth product ranges.” However, the risk-taking spirit of Bishop’s new brand suggests that the city is beginning to return to its experimental roots. A close inspection of its genteel-looking crockery reveals such unsettling images as a crucified Christ and tattooed skulls. Made of fine bone china and adorned with platinum, gold and silver, it is destined to be “fairly expensive”, says Bishop.

“Stoke has a history of enterprise, innovation and ambition, qualities that fuelled the ceramic revolution in the 18th century and are in evidence again now,” Hare Duke says. “In rising to the challenges of being a post-industrial city, Stoke’s industries, local authority and creative individuals who have a vision for a productive future are all working hard to to keep alight the fire of its original radicalism. The big industries, – and don’t forget there are still large world-class ceramic manufacturers in Stoke – are making innovative developments, particularly in the area of environmental sustainability. Both Ibstock Brick and Johnson Tiles, for example, have been nominated as part of the biennial awards for their groundbreaking practices in relation to recycling and sustainability.”

Glazing at Emma Bridgewater pottery

And while many potteries have outsourced production to Asia, others are developing strategies to exploit associations between design and quality. “Stoke has not been able to compete effectively in the international marketplace on price,” Hare Duke says. “The response to that in Stoke is to compete on quality. A good example is the pottery Emma Bridgewater, as everything it makes is manufactured here. Among some Stoke potteries there is a backlash against manufacturing abroad.”

Another company that places huge importance on home-grown design is Moorcroft. Founded in 1897, it has a loyal following, mainly in the US, UK and Australia. Its aesthetic is traditional, harking back to the arts and crafts movement, yet its high-end vases and other pieces (a small plate costs about £95) are lovingly hand-crafted. “We lead by design,” says company chairman Hugh Edwards. “Every person who buys Moorcroft knows they’re buying into the applied arts since every piece is different and individual. We never make the same piece twice.”

Meanwhile, Dudson, a family-run Stoke pottery that specialises in tableware for the hospitality sector, manufactures some of its wares abroad but mainly makes them in the UK. Clients have included the Houses of Parliament and UK railway operator ­Virgin Trains.

According to managing director Ian Dudson, a backlash is growing against the cheap, high-volume production of ceramics in Asia. “Our work with Virgin Trains is a good example,” he says. “They originally sourced their tableware from the Far East but because it was poor quality and broke easily they decided to buy it from Stoke again. Our plates last 15 or 20 years. We also use specially formulated glazes, which makes them last much longer. This makes them more eco-friendly. So does transporting the goods from Stoke rather than Asia.”

The importance of design is also underlined by the recent explosion of medium or small-scale independent designer-maker studios, some established by former employees of the main potteries. Among them are Mark Nixon, a local businessman whose gallery-cum-studio, Glazed Art, sells homegrown ceramics, notably by Alan Clarke, and Beverley Hewitt, who worked as a designer for Royal Doulton for 20 years and set up her studio making hand-made and decorated cups, saucers and cake-stands six years ago. She says there are advantages to staying small: “Unlike in a large pottery, I can react to trends fast, which gives me more freedom on the design front. I do all my own artwork. I paint watercolours, then scan these to make transfers to go on the pots.”

A bowl by Megan Randall from the ‘Fresh’ exhibition

Those behind the biennial and other regeneration initiatives know they have a big challenge repairing the ravages of recent decades, not least bringing motivation back to the local population. “Stoke’s infrastructure is eroding fast: about 30 years ago its ceramics industry employed 50,000-60,000 people; it now employs 10,000-15,000,” says Dudson.

Big brands that have gone to the wall include John Tams, Staffordshire Potteries, Royal Stratford, Biltons and James Sadler. Peter Walpole, managing director of Pollyanna, a pottery that has been creating high-end bone-china for 20 years, says: “Out of the tens of thousands of skilled designers and artisans who’ve been made redundant in Stoke, an awful lot now work as taxi drivers or at supermarket checkouts and don’t want to go back into the ceramics trade because they don’t see any future in it.” But he stresses that some of the big brands are still going strong, which, in combination with initiatives such as the biennial, offers hope. “There’s definitely a custom base specifically looking for a Made in England product,” he says. “We’re making high quality, prestige pieces.” Stoke’s bone-china ceramics in particular still appeal internationally for their associations with Britain’s teashop culture. Ironically, in this respect, Asia is one of English tableware’s biggest fans.

There are also signs that consumers are developing a taste for the city’s contemporary output. At the design fairs Hewitt regularly takes part in, she says she has to be vigilant about others potentially copying her work. “People from the Far East are always photographing my stand. I’m forever shooing them off.”

The British Ceramics Biennial takes place in Stoke-on-Trent from October 3-December 13

www.britishceramicsbiennial.com