A venture into the ceramics world, Troika was set up by three friends Benny Sirota, sculptor Leslie Illsley and architect Jan Thompson, initially in St Ives in 1963.  With quite a build up of designers and makers employed, a subsequent move brought the enterprise with its prime movers, Sirota and Illsley, to Newlyn in 1970. It finally closed in 1983, and Frank Ruhrmund's review of the 50th anniversary exhibition held at Penlee House, underlines the important point that 'the majority of Troika's work should be considered as sculpture in clay rather than pottery.'  Troika Pottery 63-83 by Ben Harris and Leslie Illsley is published to coincide with this exhibition, and is available from Penlee.