Grayson Perry, the UK’s best-known ceramicist, was on fine form during a talk at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in May. During a question-and-answer session, Perry answered questions about becoming a trustee at the British Museum and whether George Clooney and his barrister wife Amal have asked him to dinner (she recently advised the Greek government about reclaiming the Elgin Marbles, which are housed in the London institution). Perry replied: “No, and I haven’t had a legal deposition from Amal.” But he saved his wittiest quip for his eccentric new architectural project, A House for Essex. The artist called it the “Lightning Field of Essex”, putting a provincial spin on Walter De Maria’s seminal piece of land art.