Claygun

Language Applied to the Ceramic Process

2012-02-11T04:36:00.001-08:00

It is always good to receive feedback when one does something...be it negative or positive. It also gives one a chance to blow one's own trumpet...not done I know but here goes. It was a surprise to find this and I attach a translation. "Language and Visualization applied to Ceramics and Fire" was a course held at CACIS (Centre d'Art Contemporania i Sostentibilitat) near Barcelona, Spain. Wali Hawes was born in India.bHe went to university in England, studied ceramics in Spain then moved to Japan. He defines himself as "eclectic" and doesn't like to be limited by style or a stultifying ways of working. He was spot on with his workshop with a very original style which broke with conventional approaches. He started by reading out texts which placed emphasis on language and was focused on the word "Breasts" as a source of inspiration for the work we were to do. Each of us interpreted, wrote about and collected unconcious associations related to the theme "Breasts" which we then made a syntactic breakage in order to bring to fruition our experiences.
When you sign up for a course or workshop we are prepared to receive technical information, synthisize it, classify it and to depend on chance which is part of the ceramic process in order to put it into practice. However, in this workshop we not only found a very surprising approach but also a very stimulating experience. The atmosphere which was created and in which we developed our ideas was festive and leisurely and once the pieces were decorated we, pieces like plates, bowls and ceramic letters, etc we built a Paper Kiln whichat dusk brought forth a taste of greatness to be found in simplicity and was highly participatory. For Wali Hawes creativity is something that is common to all the arts. Ceramics and Literature, amonsgt others with a language in parallel. One needs to break the mould and apply it to new areas of creative expression.
Photo and text by Emma Nuevo

Emili Sempere

2012-02-11T03:36:00.000-08:00

Emili Sempere is one of Spain's foremost experts on Spanish and Portuguese Pottery otherwise know as "Ceramica Popular" and is author of numerous books on the subject. He is also responsible for creating some of the best collections of "Ceramica Popular" having travelled extensively to almost every corner of the Iberian Peninsular in an exhaustive search of any and every example of this field of Contemporary Ceramics. He certainly opened my eyes to the regional diversity, technical virtuosity, dynamics and historical richness of Spanish Traditional Pottery. Sadly much of what used to be a very vibrant craft has declined very sharply over the last few decades and he has done much to keep the kilns firing in the various centres where it still exists. You didn't need to go to Japan in search of "mingei" when you could also find it in Spain....so it was just a case of swapping "sake" for "tinto" and instead of a "guinomi" one used a "chatto". Emili now edits the ceramics magazine "TerrART" which is published by L'Associcio de Ceramistes de Catalunya and is based in Barcelona. Seeing it is published in the Catalan language (which has its roots in Provençal) might put people off but it is richly illustrated and gives you a grest excuse to learn the language. So it was a pleasure to meet up with him and exchange banter and to know of his plans for organizing the 2016 Conference of the International Academy of Ceramics which will be held in Catalunya, mainly centered in Barcelona.
Enhorabona Emili!
He is seen here in the gallery of the Asociation in Barcelona....well worth a visit.
Web site:-www.ceramistescat.org/terrart

Pottery Festivals in Japan

2012-01-19T11:18:00.001-08:00

Pottery Festivals in Japan

Pottery and Porcelain Fairs in Japan (from North to South)

Earthenware name:Festival/fair name	For more information
Dates
Place
Aizu Hongo Seto Ceramics Fair	Aizu Hongo-machi Tourist Association Tel: +81-242-56-4882 Japanese-language website: http://www.hongou.aizu.or.jp/kankou/
4 a.m. to noon, first Sunday in August
Aizu Hongo-machi, Fukushima Prefecture
Mashiko ware: Mashiko Pottery Fair	Mashiko-machi Tourist Association Tel: +81-285-70-1120 Japanese-language website: http://www.mta.mashiko.tochigi.jp/
Late April to around May 8; several days around November 3
Mashiko-machi, Tochigi Prefecture
Kasama ware: Hi-matsuri Festival	Kasama Ware Co-op Tel: +81-296-73-0058 Japanese-language website: http://www.kasamayaki.or.jp/
Late April to around May 5
Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture
Mino ware:Tajimi Pottery Festival	Tajimi Pottery and Porcelain Wholesalers' Co-op Tel: +81-572-25-5588 Japanese-language website : http://www.japan-net.ne.jp/%7Etatosho/
2nd Saturday and Sunday in April
Tajimi, Gifu Prefecture
Seto ware:Setomono Festival	Setomono Festival Association Tel:+81-561-82-3123 English-language website: http://www.city.seto.aichi.jp/e/
2nd Saturday and Sunday in September
Seto, Aichi Prefecture
Tokoname ware: Tokoname Ware Festival	Tokoname Ware Festival Association Tel: +81-569-34-3200 English-language website: http://www.city.tokoname.aichi.jp/html/ intro_e/top.html
3rd or 4th Saturday and Sunday in August
Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture
Iga ware: Iga Ware Pottery Festival	Iga Ware Traditional Industry Museum Tel: +81-595-44-1701 Japanese-language website: http://www.igayaki.or.jp/introduction/ display.html
4th Friday, Saturday and Sunday in July
Iga, Mie Prefecture
Kutani ware: Kutani Chawan Festival	Kutani Chawan Festival Association Tel: +81-761-57-3511 Japanese-language website: http://www.ishikawashokokai.or.jp/terai/ p3/index.html
May 3 to 5
Terai-machi, Ishikawa Prefecture
Echizen ware: Echizen Pottery Festival	Echizen Ware Promotion Room Tel: +81-778-32-3200
3 days starting on the last Saturday in May
Echizen-cho, Fukui Prefecture
Shigaraki ware: Shigaraki Pottery Festival	Shigaraki Town Society of Commerce and Industry Tel: +81-748-82-0873
October 8 to 10 (please confirm)
Koka, Shiga Prefecture
Kyo ware: Gojo-zaka Pottery Festival	Toki Festival Association Japanese-language website: http://www.toukimaturi.gr.jp/index.html
August 7 to 10
Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
Tanba ware: Tanba Ware Pottery Festival	Tanba Tachikui To-jiki Co-op Tel: +81-79-597-2034 English-language website: http://www.tanbayaki.com/index.htm
3rd Saturday and Sunday in October
Sasayama, Hyogo Prefecture
Bizen ware: Bizen Ware Festival	Office for the Promotion of Trade, Industry and Tourism, Bizen City Hall Tel: +81-869-64-3301
3rd Saturday and Sunday in October
Bizen, Okayama Prefecture
Hagi ware: Hagi Ware Festival	Hagi Tourism Association Tel: +81-838-25-1750 Japanese-language website: http://www.joho-yamaguchi.or.jp/hagi-cci/ hagiyakimatsuri.html
May 1 to 5
Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture
Tobe ware: Tobe Ware Festival	Tobe-cho Office for the Promotion of Trade, Industry and Tourism Tel: +81-899-62-2323 Japanese-language website: http://www.iyo.ne.jp/tobe/index.htm
3rd Saturday and Sunday in April
Tobe-cho, Ehime Prefecture
Onta ware: Onta Ware Minto Festival	Hita Municipal Office for the Promotion of Trade, Industry and Tourism Tel: +81-973-23-3111
2nd Saturday and Sunday in October
Hita, Oita Prefecture
Arita ware: Arita Ceramic Bazaar	Arita Chamber of Commerce and Industry Tel: +81-955-42-4111 Japanese-language website: http://www.arita-toukiichi.or.jp/
April 29 to May 5
Arita-machi, Saga Prefecture
Satsuma ware: Miyama Kiln Festival	Office for the Promotion of Trade, Industry and Tourism, Higashi Ichiki-cho Town Hall Tel: +81-99-274-2111
Early November
Higashi Ichiki-cho, Kagoshima Prefecture
Tsuboya ware: Tsuboya Pottery Festival	Tsuboya Pottery Co-op Tel: +81-98-866-3284 Japanese-language website: http://www.tuboya.com/index.html
November (please confirm)
Naha, Okinawa Prefecture

Mishima o la vision del vacio by Marguerite Yourcenar

2012-01-01T10:04:00.000-08:00

I have to start off by saying that this book is the Spanish translation but I am sure an English version is available.Given the stature of the Belgian born writer Marguerite Yourcenar it is a bit perplexing to find that her book on Yukio Mishima should start off with an apology. I had been drawn to Yourcenar after coming across a book on "Foreign Writers Views of Japan" in Yokkaichi library some time back. She goes on to state "when the life of a writer has been so varied, rich, impetuous and at times wisely calculated just like his work we are warned of the errors in using the same virtues and his greatness to judge him!". Could it have something to do with the way he died or maybe what she wanted to avoid at all costs was to descend into what drugstore psychology?. It turns out that Mishima's grandmother, descended from the samurai aristocracy ...the Tokugawa's no less, was quite a character that dominated the young Mishima bringing him up on the values and spirit that is found in Noh and Kabuki which we are told goes overboard in melodrama and is quite blood thirsty. Yourcenar suggest that this crazy fairy placed in him a grain of dementia which would be necessary for his genius. This contrasted with a father bereft of and incapable of love or feelings and was a pen pushing bureaucrat that would find anything other than boredom too much to handle. In order for us "gaijin-da" to understand the work of Mishima comparisons are made with Western writers like Balzac (or in my university days Balls ache!) and is described like an half opened fan as a way of re-creating a Japan as in the case of the countess Ryakura of "The Snows of Spring". I could go on but found that what I wanted to do was read his books.....

La Ruta del Quemador

2011-12-28T04:18:00.000-08:00

This all started off as a joke and was presented at "Enfang'at" in Celra, Spain at a Potters' Banquet. A banker working at an office day in and day out for donkey's years is sick to death and fed up to the teeth. He says to himself "Life must be more than this. I need a change. I know what, I'll do something exciting and sign up for a sky diving course" He goes to his local airfield and signs up. Six months later the big day arrives. He get into the plane and as they fly over the designated place his instructor goes through last minute checks. "Everything in order.....right 3,2,1....jump!" And there he is flying through space and feeling just like a bird. This is something I have always dreamed off" he says to himself enjoying the amazing views. Suddenly his enjoyment is spoilt by the peepeeing of his altimeter. He jerks at his ripcord but nothing happens. "No problem I have an emergency parachute!" Just then the altimeter goes off again and once again he tugs at the ripcord but still nothing happens. He starts to panic.....as he descends at a dizzying speed he sees this guy flying up towards him spreadeagled and face up. As they are about to pass he says...."Hey do you know anything about parachutes? and the other guy says.... "NO! Do you know anything about gas kilns?" And on this basis "La Ruta del Kemador" was started because the prize for the best joke went to a guy who lives in the Canary Islands and the prize was a set of gas burners!!!!!
The entire route can be found here:-
http://larutadelkemador.blogspot.com/search/label/ceramica%20experimental

Aoyama Artist-in-Residence Sculpture Trail

2011-12-16T08:14:00.000-08:00

After having been involved in one of the rare examples of an artist-in-residence programme when I lived in Mie-ken, Japan it was good to see the time and trouble taken in mapping out the sites of all the works that are on public display. Here is the link:-
http://www.appfi.org/residence_2007/map.htm
All credit must go to Morita-sensei who is professor of Sculpture at Kyoto University and who is the driving force behind the project. Artist-in-residence programmes are few and far between in Japan and to have done so in a small town like Aoyama just goes to show what can be done. We were housed in a sake brewery and had the food prepared for us by volunteers. We also did workshops with the local children as part of the programme. The other aspect of my work with Monumental Open Fired Sculptures in japan is the way such work is dismissed by the potting community as not being ceramics. I did try and open a dialogue placing emphasis on the ceramic process as a method of communication and in dealing with the crisis that had been plagueing ceramics in Japan but it was like being a wood worm and trying to eat a brick!!!!!
More information here:-
http://www.nava21.ne.jp/~chez.ima/kyoro17.html

Spanish National Awards for Ceramics

2011-12-13T03:55:00.000-08:00

On the 3rd December in Totana (Murcia) Spain, a gala dinner was hosted to present the National Awards in Ceramics. I was paricularly pleased to se Emili Sempere given an award for his contribution to what he has called "Ceramology". It was his book "Rutas a los Alfares" which became my bible when I travelled all over Spain in order to visit centres of production in traditional pottery. Tito from Ubeda was also awarded a prize and it was due to the book I was able to visit Tito at his atelier in Ubeda. It was amazing to see the huge plates he made and the traditional way of firing them. It is also my theory that the root of the Japanese "Oribe" is linked to the green glazed pottery from Ubeda which was exported to Japan in the period prior to Oribe becoming associated with Japanese ceramics.......the Western style pottery figures is another clue. Few people have had as much influence on "Ceramica Popular" in terms of research, documentation and dissemination of popular and artistic ceramics in Spain as Emili Sempere. His boundless activity for ceramics are unparalleled in the country. His other publications are "Terres de l'Ebre", "La Terrissa Catalana" and "History and Art in Ceramics in Spain and Portugal" amongst others. He is also editor of the TERRART and is co-ordinating the celebration in Spain of the International Academy of Ceramics Congress in 2016.

Loli Cardenoso and Cockpit Arts

2011-12-13T02:43:00.001-08:00

Loli Cardenoso is a ceramicist who has been living and working in London for the last 30 years. I have been in touch with her previously as we tried to get a participation of a group of London Potters for the International ceramics Festival "Embarrarte" in Ponferrada, Spain. Now that I am back in London it was a splendid opportunity to make contact again so I was delighted to receive an invitation to visit Cockpit Arts for the Open Studios, which is where Loli has her studio. After having lived in Japan it is only beginning to dawn on me the difficulties potters face in not only maintaining a studio but also making a living from their work surrounded as they are with such a web undefined inertia and contemplated overt strategies to impede anything that would allow creative freedom to thrive, which is why Cockpit Arts is such a great initiative. Loli was also responsible for setting up "SAL" or Spanish artists in London which brings together ceramic artists, painters and sculptors.
Info can be found here:-
artwork-lolicardenoso.blogspot.com/
and here:-
www.cockpitarts.com/designers/loli-cardenoso-3

www.s-a-l.co.uk/wp/artists/loli-cardenoso/

25 anys du Lavoir. Parcours Céramique dans la Ville

2011-12-10T03:35:00.000-08:00

It is always great to receive information about what other potters and ceramic artists are doing so was delighted to receive this from Eleonre Weiss who has her studio en Lodeve (Llanguedoc-Rousillon) in France. Quite amazed at the level of work which makes me realize why France has always been a magnet, a "bressol" for artists of all persuasions....has alot to do with the French attitude to art, how the respect Art and artists and cultivate this........pity I had to miss the vernissage c'est samedi the 10th Dec.

Tea Bowl Stories V. Better broken than Whole

2011-12-09T09:08:00.001-08:00

I was gazing at a beautiful porcelain Tea Bowl through dewy eyes of humility. It had one of the most exquisite celadons I have ever seen. I turned to the maker Yoshimachi-san. He looked at me expectantly. I said, "I think it would be better if it were cracked and repaired with gold!...you know some kintsugi or shit like that!" I smiled thinking the Zen twist of ironic imperfection and incompleteness would bring a smile to his face or something like that. What happened is something I should have anticipated. He felled me with a well aimed karate look. "Gaijin-da will never understand Japanese feeling!"...."I was only joing...jodan desu!" I gasped as I struggled to my knees up Mother Brown. It was just then that Shingo-san dropped by. "I can teach you how to make it but what I can't do is teach you what to make!" I bowed deeply like the Pacific Ocean full of tuna fish as I took in his words. I was swept away and transported to Kyoto and Daikoku-ji. I wandered aimlessly amongst the corridors. Kimono-clad maidens shuffled about with trays filled with delights and displayed like little works of Art on equally exquisite pieces. "You have to go through there!" one maiden pointed to a door at the end of the corridor. Later I would find out her name was Yoshino. I slid open the door with my right hand halfway, then with the left finally opened it fully. I bowed deeply. Entered and took my place amongst what appeared to be courtiers. Nobody questiond my being there. On a dais to my left sat the shogun Hideyoshi, the most powerful man in Japan. From a side entrance the size of a shoe box a door slid open in the same two style pattern. A Tea Master bowed then passed through. A feeling of Ichi-go-Ichie filled the room. He unfurled a fukusa and placed on it a Tea Bowl. It was the famous "Asaina" meaning "The Morning is Beautiful". We all surpressed a gasp. The Tea Master placed the bowl in front of Hideoyshi. He made a move to hold it but as his left hand moved towards it-it shattered.

Harriet Murray at Campbell Works

2011-12-08T09:14:00.000-08:00

Harriet Murray's new body of work Anomaly Island playfully explores memories of personal and collective history. Her visual and cerebral journey examines our relationships with each other along with recent social political turbulences and aspects of Britain's past. She invites visitors to immerse and follow her journey as well as offering a platform for their own interpretations and recollections.

When entering Campbell works the installation 'Natural Selection' a silver gafa taped bubble wrap Union Jack welcomes the visitors. The re-branded British flag appears fresh and nonchalant, signaling change to revised thoughts and new experiences.

The main gallery displays six works, one installation, three sculptural pieces and two wall pieces. 'Island' an 'Englishman's Castle' as Murray refers too, an installation captivating and dominating by nature. At first glance the piece conveys stability and solidity, but when crawling inside one soon becomes aware of its fragility. The carefully arranged memorabilia, a labour of love, presents private and shared experiences as well as the precarious environment we live in. The dwelling is bordered with three plastic plants each decorated with various objects suggesting metaphors of a rural myth.

The 'Woodpecker Joiner’ a fascinating entanglement constructed from ropes and fishing nets. It is a poetic and an accomplished piece that conveys protectionism, whereas the wood pecker is inspecting the nest for unwanted intruders.

An aluminum oval is transformed into a memorial plaque and decorated with bound tried seaweed and shells. The work is titled ’Foreshore Dream 3’ and mirrors melancholy and emptiness. Is this an expression of angst and sorrow?

In the adjacent gallery we find Murray's most powerful work 'Anomaly'. The mast of a ghostly raft is sujestive of a slim primitive wooden figure, standing on the prow, an early ancestor stranded and forlorn, perhaps? With persistence he gazes calmly into a distant world in hope of finding humanity and compassion. This scenario is heightened by the video work 'Asylum' showing repetitive gentle ocean waves, echoing abundance and isolation.

Murray's works are thoughtfully and meticulously constructed and executed. Some of her pieces exuberate with imagination; others are loaded with observations and political references engaging the onlooker in the conundrum and struggle of humankind. It is refreshing to find an artist not succumbed by market doctrines. Her artistic practice is exciting; she creates stimulating pieces with profound meaning and presents an honest response to our chaotic and restless world.

Brighton Rocks & Crocks

2011-12-01T02:34:00.000-08:00

What could be better than to step off the coach Series No 025, Journey Ref OSGE with an Echo Return and be met by brother Howard at York Place. We head down this street lined with cool shops and cafe's that you associate with people who have a progressive outlook to life....it was a taste of things to come. Hadn't been in Brighton since the mid-70's......we land up in this pub.....in what I would call a real pub to down a couple of Harvey's which is what the local brew is called. A real pub has two aspects to it-presence like great beers, brilliant music that doesn't deafen the head on your pint, atmosphere and amazing clientèle.......the absence is no huge screen blaring out sports and ads!!!! It is always good to be with somebody who knows the area like the palm of their hand as is the case of Bro Howard...given all the jobs he's done in the area. I can't remember where we rambled....The lanes, Brighton Marina, Churchill Square, the Gay Quarter, Brighton Pavillion....it was great to find Erde Ceramica with great pieces from Spain...also the ceramic collection at the Corn Exchange. We discovered a shop selling chilli products and burnt ourselves on what was on offer....turns out the guv organizes The Chilli festival in Brighton. Street Art was very good though what you expect from grafitti artists exploring social issues and homage to pop icons. I was amazed to discover that The Green party was in power, had a green member of Parliament and the buses ran on recycled cooking oil......Brighton must be one of the most progressive cities in the UK if not in Europe......so that's why it rocks with crocks....
www.erdeceramica.com and www.chilli-shop.com
Excellent variety of food was on offer not just in cafe's, restaurants, bars and pubs but also in the streets. Next day saw a chilling out on Devil's Dyke and an end to the weekend with a paella. Bus No 747 saw me heading back from Pool Valley to Victoria.

Bogdan

2011-12-01T01:37:00.001-08:00

Bogdan Saczkowski is a potter of Polish origin who lives in Ouveillan in the Languedoc-Rousillon region of France. I had the great pleasure of meeting this great guy when I did some work there two summers ago. Since then not only his amazing work but life which he has dedicated to helping "pueblos" in South America has been a beacon for me. It was a delight to receive the news that he has been awarded a prize for his work. Here is the note:-
Bodgan a reçu le premier prix du Salon de l'Orb (MVA) à Béziers ce week-end !
Bravo sacré potier!
ici au Chateau de Raissac Salon d'été de L'ACA en août 2011. Images can be seen here:-
https://picasaweb.google.com/113054292815675451330/ExpoIsalesEtBogdanSaczkowskiALaHalle2072011PhotosMLache#

Ouveillan a la chance et la particularité d'accueillir un potier. Bogdan Saczkowski, d'origine polonaise, artisan potier céramiste depuis 32 ans, est installé au village depuis 16 ans. Et si vous l'abordez sur le sujet, il vous entraîne avec lui dans l'univers de la poterie où, selon lui, "On ne maîtrise rien et on peut juste essayer de comprendre les éléments qui nous entourent, toujours en mouvement, afin d'être en harmonie avec eux : la terre, matière première, l'eau, l'air et le feu, qui a le dernier mot".

Bogdan, également artisan formateur à l'Imara (Institut des métiers de l'art et de l'artisanat d'art), a accueilli de février à avril une jeune élève, Élena Vulliet, un espoir pour Bogdan et les autres potiers qui s'inquiètent tout de même de voir un jour leur métier disparaître faute de relève. Elena, en attente d'un financement du Conseil régional, espère pouvoir entamer une formation qualifiante à partir de septembre 2011, afin de transformer sa passion en vrai métier. En attente de ce financement, Bogdan, pour qui la poterie est aussi une rencontre, un partage, un échange et une harmonie entre deux êtres, a commencé à initier sa future élève à toutes les techniques de la poterie, et plus particulièrement la technique de décoration particulière : le jaspé mocha tea, technique très peu utilisée en France mais qui fait des pièces uniques d'une rare beauté qu'on ne trouve qu'à la poterie du Cabirou.

Bogdan, convaincu que la poterie est un métier qui demande discipline et humilité, propose également des ateliers individuels si vous le souhaitez. La poterie ayant, selon lui, comme objectif de rendre la personne heureuse et fière de son oeuvre sans jamais se décourager.

L'atelier de Bogdan est ouvert à tous et vous pouvez y trouver différents objets utilitaires et décoratifs en même temps. Sur demande, Bogdan peut également confectionner des plaques pour vos maisons, numéros ou autre. Pour une simple visite, pour vos achats ou pour rencontrer Bogdan, n'hésitez pas à vous arrêter à l'atelier. "On devient tous un peu poète en franchissant les portes de l'atelier".

TERRA

2011-11-22T03:11:00.000-08:00

As a pottartist making large scale Monumental Sculpture that has often been associated with landscape I was drawn to the exhibition "TERRA" which is being held at the Jerwood Art Space on Bankside. The lovely fold-out catalogue tells us that TERRA includes work by artists from across the UK......"the practice engaging with a broad definition of sculpture". The main emphasis of work by artists Edwina Fitzpatrick, Jonathan Anderson, Anne-Mie Melis and The Owl Project grew out of a relation with the sculpture project at Grisedale Forest. Forest here we are told means a managed landscape which forms part of the wider social and cultural context. In the work of Melis her practice brings together Art and Science with the role of plants and their presence in an increasingly technological environment. So there were these rocks with branches and things with images of flowers and plants played upon them. Didn't hang around to watch...maybe I should have to be fair but what I was seeking was immediate engagement which I din't find and if I did want immediate engagement to tell me about Nature and Technology all I need to do is go for a walk. The other piece by Jonathan Anderson "Coal Burst" though I don't think that is the original title.....and that woman isn't impaled on it in the picture....is seen as "a dark, mysterious almost mythical material that provides an ideal vehicle for the exploration of poetic metaphor and transformation" *Has anybody red my Freddie Methodology? Would have been better in a much bigger space...like say a coal mine. Our obsession with technique and process is sometimes a mask that is later used for control. Can't really say if the works grabbed me by the walls and seeing expressions of sculpture with Nature as a theme in an enclosed space are expressions of preconceived notions that are well received packaged in this way and accords with what Berger once said which is......"it doesn't accord with the world as it is!"

www.jerwoodvisualarts.org

Panaliappan

2011-11-21T09:23:00.000-08:00

Panaliappan started potting when he was four years old. However, looking at the way he creates his majestic pieces one feels as if he had started even before he was born. And to some extent, this is true. It is unknown when there wasn`t a potter in the family or when the family wasn`t connected to pottery. Apart from the close relation to pottery Panaliappan is also a priest and so is very intimately related to the work regarding the making of The Aiyanar Horse. Contemplating his work one could easily define it as pure ceramic sculpture, albeit in a particular formalist/realist style that can be defined as Cauvery, but that would be a major error as it belongs to Pure Religious Art. Adopting a Paradigm Shift in the way we perceive his work will put Ceramic Art Practice in a new light and this is the essence of his work. It is an area that has been largely ignored and neglected due to a materialist approach not only in theory but also in practice. Aiyanar is a minor figure in the vast pantheon of Hindu Iconography. He is quite human-only having two arms. Though watching Panaliappan at work one wonders if it is he who has made off with all those arms one normally associates with Hindu Deities. The power that Panaliappan transmits through his work can lead to a local Municipal Corporation sending a member of staff with accompanying Constabulary to put the piece in Police Protection. We had to point out that it was still unfired and as such still fragile. They also didn`t have the necessary papers. Contemplating his work, the bulging eyes and disarming smile of Aiyanar under his bushy mustache, the horse with ears as attentive as any radar if not more so, ready to put to flight any demon that might dare to show his face allows us, in the realm of the work of Panaliappan and what he transmit from his world, to sleep and dream peacefully. And we enter into a world of Multiple Realities so particular to what life and ceramics is, in

India

. Short video of what Panalliapan did in Spain in "Namaste India!" can be found here:-

http://www.youtube.com/user/flyingkiln?feature=mhee#p/f/16/TWzEqGk-WUU

JAWDANCE-a splurge of the Spoken Word

2011-11-17T07:26:00.000-08:00

"A Splurge of the Spoken Word" at Richmix in Bethnal Green which takes place every third Wednesday of the month. It was my first time and I was witness to one of the most exciting and enjoyable presentations of poetry that I have yet to experience....I wish I could remember the names of all the poets. It was a packed venue which was superbly organized and many genres were there..not just propping up the bar. The MC...was it Mr Gee-made sure there wasn't a dull moment and the first half finished with work that was cleverly interwoven with sounds that gave us echoes, modular amplification and retroactive playbacks and voice overs which at the same time was maintained with an active engagement with the audience. The audience loved the anime "My Little Sister" by Nathan Finer which illustrated the trials and tribulations a little girl has to put up with re her little baby other.... expletives were liberally splashed about at the right moment like little atomic bombs and with a little girls voice sounded so cute/especially when she ended up with an AK47. For me the highlight had to be Julia Gwyn's piece about this woman at the top of a block of flats who tosses her heart over the side and what happened as a result. Language was brilliant with situations enclosed within compact compartments like Russian Dolls, imagination coupled with baroque descriptions made it a feast. Best thing I have ever heard. A piece that showed when something is kept real everything else is irrelevant. Past performances can be seen here.

http://www.youtube.com/user/jawdance

More info here.

www.richmix.org.uk

Flowers that grow from Concrete

2011-11-17T07:06:00.001-08:00

"Flowers that grow from Concrete" is a collection of work that documents the trials, journeys and aspirations of young people forced to leave their homes and seek refuge in the UK. "I am here because I want a normal life and make a fresh start". The overview of the situation in which these young people found themselves in was brought into focus namely, "a perception is ....asylum seekers come to the UK to take advantage of the Benefit System....but the reality is most know nothing about Welfare Benefits before they arrive here and had no expectation they would receive financial support." The efforts made at seeking solutions to one's situation elsewhere is one way of dealing with the problem .....human history is testament to this fact. The so called Deviloped World is not only seen as a geographical destiny but also as a conceptual construct of a desirable consumerist lifestyle. "I am Unity" by Zaneta Denny & Rubina Ahmed goes like this. "I am a woman of many continents, cultures who thought they'd never meet. Nelly Furtado and the Tabla Beat, march in unison to dancing feet. scoffing tiramisu and licking ladoo, spoiling the spread....before Dad comes....see I should stop!"

The project is fruit of Young Voices delivered by PRAXIS Community, plus the Readers & Writers of PEN International.....Chisenhale Art Place amongst others.

Exhibition is at Rich Mix in Bethnal Green.

The Making of Indian Artist-Craftsman Devi Prasad

2011-11-16T03:30:00.001-08:00

On the 17th Oct Naman Ahuja, Associate Professor of Indian Art at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi presented the recently published book, "The Making of Indian Artist~Craftsman Devi Prasad in association with The India Media Centre at the University of Westminster and as part of the DCS South Asian Literature Festival. Devi Prasad was India's pioneering artist-potter, visionary educationalist and pacifist. Apart from the making of his personal history the event looked at why the creative act of making art itself takes on such a fundamental philosophical significance in life. Naman Ahuja himself studied pottery under Devi-bhai 21 years ago and pointed out the immense value of his role in spreading awareness of pottery in India. Devi Prasad's book, "Art the basis of Education" was about how intervention in child education could be the basis for real social change within the great traditions of Non-Violence. It was pointed out how the two main poles of Prasadian Praxis revolved around two major figures in his life....Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore. This was clearly illustrated by Nandalal Bose who sent Devi-bhai an illustration of a two/wheeled chariot. The two wheels would later be the spinning wheel and the potters wheel or "chakra". Devi-bhai was more than a potter,he was also a painter and a photographer and documented the work of traditional potters in India. Gandhi's letter of the 1st March 1945 led him to the decision about what beauty was as a means to live and Yanagi's inspiration lay in his adoption of a multiple style together with method. Devi-bhai never considered himself a Leachian but it was "A Potter's Book" in the library at Sevagram which made him turn to pottery....so too the help and advice of John Ffrench and S.K.Mirmela who were both at Sevagram. The rather ironic note about Devi-bhai's sojourn in London where he set up a studio at his home in Edmonton, North London, and where he was first secretary and later chairman of War Resister's International was his rejection by the CPA on at least two counts because his work wasn't Indian enough. The book presentation was followed by a discussion with his son Sunand Prasad and Julian Stair. The book is divided into seven sections....some of which cover the following themes:- Creating Sensibility of The Modern Indian Artist-Craftsman:Santiniketan and the Arts&Crafts Movement, Making a Gandhian Utopia A theory of Education for Peace by Krishna Kumar and Art the Basis of Education by Devi Prasad. aAlsos "A Peaceful Worls is a Creative World", "A Pacifist Experiment" by Bob Ovary plus "A Universal Spirit" by Delhi based potter Kristine Michael. Finally there is "Coming Full Circle and appendices covering Prasadian bibilography and Extracts.
Obituary was also published here:-
www.studiopottery.co.uk/news_item.php?id=351

Freddie Methodology

2011-11-11T02:00:00.000-08:00

structured interaction, body of meaning, transmitted knowledge, processed artifacts, collateral imagery, weft of collected outposts, mapped out terrain, collisions of unrelated arty-facts, rejection of ambiguities, forced metaphors, chains of correlations, transformal statements, contextural misappropriations, misspelt language, fettered consciousness, objective parallels, historical references, safety first, sacred profanities, synthetically patterned praxis, impact over stated intentions,uncovered habitual behaviour, shakey ground, multiple realities with preferences, economic arguments on use, poverty of richness, isolationist cellulism, codified behaviour, certified expertise,clothed nakedness, specifications for repetitivness, applied imagination, opposed diatric equilibrium, temporal variations, correlated gradations, tendential allusions, syllabic seasons, suggested bounderies, hierarchical appearances, manipulated sensitivities, area of prohibited definitions, accepted norms, controlled subvertive attempts on aesthetics, formal rivalry within hierarchical categories, non-intellectual emotionality, feminine diatrics, hypocritical paralysis, emotional saturation v psyphological desperation, symptomatic technical restrictions, pyromanic encounters with form and textures, historical discourses, manipulated obfuscation, allegorical formalities, immediate engagement, dismissal of functionality, private assemblages within the public domain, reason as subordinate to perception, openess to intimate experiences, disciplinary boundaries, contexts of interchangeability, background structures as a way of celebrating creativity, spirals of achievement, ephemeral process housing the poetic impulse, comfort notions of perfection, compact contagious intentions, transformative vehicle as metaphor, teleological benchmarks, selected artifacts as criterion of authenticity, anonymity as boring contrivances, intellectual ballast, laws of contrast with equality values, imagination touched by intellect, juxtapositions in unenclosed form, structure as linear contrivance, creative scepticism, accidents as tools, struggles with implications, intimidating developmental possibilities, technical syntax, eutectic devices, cross-cultural paradigms, traditions as a working framwork, legitimized mythic achievements, progressive devices, perpetual positional perceptions, covert simplicity, formal difficulties, monographic multi-tiled surfaces, suggestive equivalents, subverting assumptions, additive reinforcements, repition of process, organically linear, translated acceptability, spans of dialogue, areas of content, parameters of inceptions, lateral approaches, rarefied atmospheres of depth, learning curves as metaphoric progress, historical antecedents, criss-crossing viewpoints, accuracy of belief, regionalized sensory awareness, fractionalized perspectives, split hairline fissures, scholarly exegesis, the status quo of experimentation, bonded beliefs in knowledge, organization of subject categories, cogent reactions, logic of sequentiality, format as part of content, matching belief with contemporary practice, obedience to elitist efficiency, form isn’t a vessel, genre is description, theoretical regulatory prescriptions, institutionalized fondness for intellectual comfort, instability caused by thoughts, historical and cultural ignorance, interpretive intent, detachment of objectivity, separation of feelings, diffusion of emotions, mindset as predetermined forms, pragmatic adaptations, transfigured dichotomies, misdirected conjecture, aroused passions fuelled by fire, inevitability of finished form, authentic equivalence, anthromorphic metaphors, analytic structures, pivotal reasoning, proof is an application of technique, transforming cellular fragments, criteria admits existence, iambic parameters off form, castrated by modifications, adapted imports, non-formal egocentricities, core of the work is inter-connectedness, localized taboos, technique as disruption, Suchness proliferates sameness and someness, self brain dysfunctions, is form a specific shape?, structures presume a hierarchy of fixed principles, deconstruction unravels the logic of opposites, significance is ambiguous, sensual apprehension on touch, aesthetic benefits of pattern and texture, temporal re-arrangements, limitation of plagiarised expression, intakes of boredom, fusion of object and content, the impossible as extended possibilities, clusters in unmoving space, ornate diction, chronological form and spatiality, secret code is an enigma,……….authenticity requires ostentation……minor adjustments are the revolution of the wheel thrown form.

The Name is:-CLAY

2011-11-05T08:10:00.000-07:00

There are those that say my name isn't Clay but Mud! This means ofcourse that you have absolutely no "barrossa" in the blue of the eyes and you know who's side they are on. And so they met under the London Plane crowded round the braising flesh skewered onto rings and peppered with shrapnel to discuss the future of the Five Leading Principles which according to some, and we assume they knew what they were talking about outlined them as the following:- The Leading Principle, The Subordinate Principle, The Recoiling Principle, The Engaging Principle and The Eternal Principle. I see it as:-"Clay", The Wheel", "The Potter's Hand", "The Kiln" and "Fire"......So lay the wood so it fires the pot. (and burn all those Hello Kitties holding on to Institutionalized Inertia, Neutered Creativity, Administrative Apathy, Bureaucratic Boredom and Regulatory Depravity. The real essence of Truth is in the making and is called process.....it is evolving from or devolving towards nothing! It isn't my job to convince anybody about the value and meaning of pottery...all I know is it has given me life, it connects and has shown me a shared, common language......I go from the largest slum in Asia with a large potters' colony as is the case of Khumbar Wada in Dharavi in Bombay to discussing the aesthetics of a Kichizaemon piece in a temple, a stone's throw from Sen no Rikyu's pad. Even when thrown out on your ear you continue to talk shop...well pots actually!

Approaches to Pottery

2011-11-04T05:48:00.000-07:00

I am continually amazed at the dynamic art scene in London...well at least the areas in the East End. I was after the mural which was painted in homage to the valiant struggles of the people in the East End in the 1930's and which was featured in a TV programme. The mural is situated in Cable St and is just off Watney Market. However, before that I wanted to explore the areas around Whitechapel and Commercial Rd and so ended up at The Freedom Press which has an amazing amount of radical material...and I also visited the Whitechapel Art Gallery where I bumped into these references to ceramics. I don't know what Ai Weiwei was trying to say here....the title of which is "Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn" 1995...or is it A Handy Nasty Urn? which is what it looks like to me. I mean to say, what did that urn do to earn such a fate? Was it because it belonged to some big wig or due to the functioning of the Art Market it had become a speculative item and a conciliatory gesture was needed or simply because he don't like pots. Whatever it is his intentions are not clear to me and the freulien is suitably shocked at the thought!!!!!...and she isn't a Han potter. Actually the image "Hausfrauenarbeit" is by Ursula Röhnert and is what most women would feel like being chained to the kitchen sink which would be one of torture and anguish at having to do the washing up...with or without. No wonder we use plastic.....I am sure both images are copyright but I am giving them loads of publicity.....which brings me to these two chinamen cross each other in the street. One says to the other "Hora!" and the other replies..."Las tres y media!"

Time Encounters on the Anisopthera Syncronous Orbit

2011-11-03T04:28:00.000-07:00

I have submitted this story to a theatre group called Insignificant Theatre...after the 1st Dec I will know whether it has been accepted for public performance......

Time Encounters on the Anisopthera Syncronous Orbit

The Spaceship Jelly Fish Sublime of the Series BG17/7, was a fifth generation spacecraft engineered to withstand transit through the Waddingtonian Homeostasis Polyplex environment. It could operate in a vacuum with temperatures potentially raging across hundreds of degrees Celsius as well as (if subject to re-entry) in the presence of plasmas

It banked to the left of the Minerva Cluster and headed towards its programmed destination fixed to Centurion 6257-100. The Jelly Fish, fondly known as Dustbin by its motley crew formed part of the Nanavithal Pohrullgall, an Anarchist Confederation from Racing Vendrell. She had been in space orbit for HR 2,195 donkey’s years before SIM. Captain Pla d’Estang had gone too fast. His obsession with the Lorenzian Manifold and its relation to the Closed Melik Curve saw him shoot off at an angle which had its square root in the Laser Motive Vector. Others just knew he was a right show off and was using all sorts of technical data to fulfil his repressed desire for speed. His antics were going to prove disastrous. It wasn’t that the ship could not handle a passage through the Manifold or the buffeting so prevalent at the Torodial Geometrics as it was designed to withstand such vagaries that could be found in Deep Space. All the calculations in quantity, structure and the change related to topics of form and pattern had already been taken into account.

It wasn’t as if Pla hadn’t broken the Speed of Light before, otherwise known as the X Factor. They had done it on numerous occasions and its viability had been proved in relation to the equation and material sustainability when it came down to the Transcendental Theory of Matrix Loss. They had always done so with regulatory caution but this time………..Pla glanced down at Flight Lt En Cenelles d’Amunt to check ramifications and Spacetime Metrics. What he saw came as quite a shock! Encenelles was there wearing nothing more than his dototis and what was more he had regressed into what could only be described as infancy. A dummy, well past its tertiary lifespan was pegged to his gob! Pla looked down at himself to find himself in not too different attire. However, the four bars and crowned stars still showed that he was the captain. He let out a wail, revealing two milk teeth about to drop out. Ken Taki the loyal robot hummed over hurriedly to his side, sussed out the situation in two shakes of a duck’s tail and plonked a Virtual Reality feeding bottle suitably heated to blood temperature into Pla’s wailing mouth putting an end to his shrieking. Ken Taki was a custom made robot of the NoVindra Series and you could tell because he had a proper name. None of this index numbering that was prevalent in the old days that made them feel really impersonal. He didn’t respond to ageing, had feelings, there were no genetic problems, chromosmatic decay or cellular deformation. To put it quite bluntly-He was perfect! He felt really satisfied to see Pla suck away contentedly at the bottle. His motor fell in dismay as his laser sensors surveyed the scene before him. Ken decided that help was needed urgently.

The Jelly Fish Sublime of the Series BG17/7 was no longer one of those machines of cutting edge technology for interstellar space travel but a flying crèche. He hurriedly beeped out a message. “Toni Kaku! Toni Kaku. This is Ken. You are urgently needed on the bridge. Drop everything you are doing and come here at once.

This is an EMERGENCY!”

True to form Toni Kaku was up on the bridge in a jiffy. With him, in train, was a cartload of dodotis and pre-heated feeding bottles. “What a genius!” thought Ken and what’s more he’s piping the latest sweet lullaby over the PA. In next to no time what could have been a chorus of wailing kids now became a symphony of contended gurgles. Ken Taki decided that he was going to recommend Toni Kaku for a Galactic Medal of Honour despite the fact that he had inserted the feeding bottle into the wrong end of Chief Engineer Syrup Godrich Lajpat. Godrich didn’t seem to notice the difference.

Ken turned to Toni. “Toni, what on earth are we going to do now? The Captain knew that venturing into the Lorenzian Manifold and its relation to the Closed Melik Curve was really very risky. Just look at the way the devastating effect of microgravity and net gravitational force has had on them. Regression and mental disorientation, or space motion sickness and macrotonics in the body fluid circulation have changed them and they are all suffering from “Puffy-Head Bird-Legs” Syndrome. It has also resulted in multiple osteoporosis. And Oh my God! Just look at the way carbon monotubes have damaged the cells?” Wailed Ken in dismay. True to form Toni had the answer.

“Don’t worry Ken! I notice that shortly we will be arriving on planet Compra Originals. You may remember that it is in the Medula Galaxy. Non-Physical pathogens which used to take the form of etheric parasites have converted the entire surface into a giant pudding. Micro-gravitational Drop Shafts have been affected and the Algorithmic Proto Data shows that the result is a host of shopping malls that sell nothing more than sweets and toys.. We can drop them off there and then bugger off to The Sylvan Fields in the Nebula Galaxy!”

“Toni!” Gasped Ken in excitement! “That is beautiful. Let’s do that!”

Captain Pla to control. “Make a beeline to Compra Originals. Intuition is a Command Imperative!” said the robot imitating Capt Pla’s voice.

“Ay, ay Captain. We can expect to land in 0.08 hours Donkey’s Years. Please prepare for landing!”

This is the site of the theatre company:-

www.insignificanttheatre.webs.com

Here is some muic from one of my favorite groups and fits in quite well!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/user/flyingkiln?feature=mhee#p/c/E2E5897E9CE125ED/21/wC7T2m-YZns

London Potters Exbition at the Morley Gallery

2011-10-31T07:01:00.001-07:00

How does one go about evaluating work presented in a collective show?...as if one should make an opinion anyway...I did enjoy the work that was on display not only in terms of technique but also depth and range of creative expression. The show was to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the founding of London Potters..... I really enjoyed being able to meet and engage in discussion with the potters there and the way efforts have been made to see ceramics become mainstream in Art Practice. I would naturally incline to work that appealed to my prejudices and preconceived notions and ideas if not culturally formed then historically distorted which is why I liked the work of Angie Chiled, Brian Tew, David Bishop, Sandra Barnett or Christine Boyle amongst others. The packed show did make it difficult to contemplate the work. Geoff Kenward in formal attire opene the show and distributed prizes covering many categories. Pottery as we know it has been around since pieces were discovered at a site in Kamikuroiwa, Ehime-ken 12,000 years ago and also Shimonocuchi in Nagano-ken, both places in Japan. Wht drew me weren't pieces that based creative expression on creative expertise rather those that invited me to explore areas unknown to me with all the risks that it entails......Well done London Potters and I am looking forward to more events!!!!!!

Chelsea Potter

2011-10-27T03:26:00.000-07:00

It has taken me quite a while to learn how to deal with being led up the garden path, being taken for a ride or just simply being hoodwinked. I have learnt that as I may not always be in sight of the great overall view of things, why I might actually be flying off the handle and actually only looking for a vent to let off frustration. So there I was in what appeared to be a wasted trip and heading for home on the No 11 destined for Liverpool St...and much to my surprise, from my vantage point on the top deck I spy a pub with the name "Chelsea Potter". It didn't take me twice to think in two shakes of a duck's tail what I should do and before you could say Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada I was at the bar quaffing a London Pride. The "Chelsea Pottre"...I mean "potter" (and I 'ave only had two guv!) is situated on the King's Rd...No 119 to be precise. It was a landmark during the "Swinging 60's" and a favorite place for the in-crowd. William de Morgan is the inspiration for the pub and he was considered to be one of the most important figures of the Arts & Crafts Movement, together with William Morris and Edward Burne Jones. It was Morris' lack of success with ceramics that led de Morgan into the field taking over the tile production of the business. What I remember about De Morgan's work was his achievements with lustres. So, the pub is named in his honour seeing there was a pottery founded by him called The Chelsea Art Pottery. The pub dates back to Victorian times and I wish there was pottery around splashed about the place...like his tiles or an exhibition space. It turns out that Mick Jigger was quite jolly whilst supping with the band and some time when he painted things black and wasn't getting any satisfaction at the wheel and getting off a my kiln! I could go on about the Chinoiserie and friezes of pastoral scenes in the place but a smile on the kindly face of a barmaid allows me to delight in an aphorism by the Sufi Master Al-Hikam with "The sign of which you count on is one of your own behavior-whilst waiting for the least bad step. Bury your existence in humility" The bar staff were great and really helpful with furnishing information and especially when I told them that my interest in the pub was because I was a potter myself! So Mick, The Heart isn't of Stone but of Clay! Which left me wondering, seeing I am a Spurs supporter...What has Tottenham done to celebrate its pottery heritage?

Here is a link:-http://www.colepotteries.btinternet.co.uk/tottenham-potteries1930-1950.htm

Remember this....the difference between a pot an a poet is an errant "e"!

REFLEXTIONS

2011-10-22T04:05:00.000-07:00

"If you are not having fun, you are not doing it right"

"Truth comes in two formats: enlightenment and collisions with reality."..

Make pots for 10 years, Become a Pot, then forget all about pots...when you are potting.

Freedom is not doing what you like but liking wht you do!

Hold the uncut wood.

know the raw clay

Need little,

Want less.

Forget the rules.

Be broken to be whole.

Twist to be straight.

Be empty to be full.

Wear out to be renewed.

Have little and gain much.