Judith B. Ceramics - Blog: Influences

When clay comes to life

28/4/2019

Reading through articles, I came across Ceramic Review's Masterclass with Sarah Scampton. Looking at pictures of her work and then watching the short film of her making sculptures, I was drawn to the animated surfaces on such simple forms. Due to the hand building technique Sarah uses, those pieces have a strong presence. They aren't just geometric shapes. Rather they are animated with patterns, irregularities and some kind of mystery. Listening to her talking, she seems to be only the intermediary which allows clay to take life and become its own entity.

"I put layer upon layer upon layer until the object starts to speak in some way. I stop when it's finished speaking and I never know when that's going to be"
Sarah Scampton

It is quite interesting, hearing her talk about her pieces, to realise that the vocabulary she uses to describe her work - their "skeleton", "skin" and "scars" revealed by the coloured slips - is the same we would use to talk about living organisms.

And this reminded me of an other ceramic artist I found years ago that creates organic shapes inspired by life forms. While the shape is the main focus of Frances Lambe's work, the finish of her pieces is also significant as this is how surface and form unite.
As they both use hand building techniques, their work embody the capacity that clay has to be shaped, textured, fired to suddenly become something else entirely.

To learn more about Frances Lambe, give a listen to her interview with the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland.

Nature is the best artist: close-up photography

24/3/2019

I stumbled across Saida Valenzuela's work and found myself scrolling through all her photographies, captivated by her work. Of all her series, Echoes is the one that caught my eyes the most: these close up pictures of different minerals are rich in colours and texture, vary in opacity and depth. She describes her work:

The result is authentic pieces of art naturally created without human intervention that show us once again nature is and always be the best artist.

And indeed, to those who have a look around them, take time to absorb the light, shadows, colours and details, nature is mesmerising.

Decades ago, Brett Wetson captured with his camera abstract compositions straight from nature. His pictures of ice, lichen, mud or sand are stunning arrangements of light and shadow, textures captured on film. While the title gives away the subject of those photographies, it is almost impossible just looking at them to know what they are. And I believe that is where beauty lies. Unable to find meaning or known elements, we are left with beautiful abstractions.

Ceramics and activism: the work of Roberto Lugo

29/9/2018

A few weeks ago, reading CRAFTS No. 273 (July/August 2018), I discovered the work of Roberto Lugo. This artist, born in Philadelphia, creates pots at the intersection of art and politics.

"The objects I create speak of personal subjects – my experiences with obesity, racism, and class division. I use the associations with ceramic material and forms of pottery, such as elite fine china and porcelain, to discuss these issues with humour and irony." - Roberto Lugo [1]

In 2015, he gave a fascinating talk at the NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) conference where he explained how his life experiences shape his art. His goal, he explains, isn't to make art, it is about helping each other out and having empathy. With his intricate paintings, he is hoping that people will take a closer look, and start questioning things.

Ceramics, he says, is usually associated with high society. Using traditional techniques to tell his life story, he builds a bridge between those two worlds: the gangsters and the elite ; the oppressed and the privileged.

To take his commitment a step further, he joined the board of trustees at Haystack Mountain school of Crafts so that he could influence decisions from the inside. He also started giving presentations to educate people and share his journey. Earlier this year, he curated the THEY exhibition at the Clay Art Centre in New York that gave a space to the marginalised and underrepresented.

There is something highly refreshing in seeing people in the arts and crafts trying to make social changes happen and better the world in those times of turmoil.

[1] https://artaxis.org/roberto-lugo/

Discovering new techniques at the traditional Kogei exhibition

29/9/2017

As an attempt to protect and promote craft techniques, the Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition has been held every year since 1954. This year, from September 20th to October 2nd 2017, the 64th edition is held at Mitsukoshi department store in Nihonbashi.
This exhibition is a rare chance to see some of the most skilled craftspeople’s work, from ceramics to lacquerware, dolls or textiles.

The display of ceramics is incredible and presents such a variety of techniques, I was in awe. On top of that, I was able to find out about some techniques I had never heard of before: washizome (和紙染め) and nunozome (布染め). Or, literally, printing with washi paper or cloth.

This painstaking process uses the absorbing quality of the washi paper to transfer the colour onto the ceramic piece. First, the pattern is drawn on the piece with a pencil. Then pieces of washi paper and delicately cut to the right shape. These pieces of paper are then put on the ceramic and the colour is added. The rough texture of the washi paper creates a unique effect while still allowing a high precision. You can see the whole process in this video.
Nunozome is a similar technique but allows for a variety of textures depending of the weaving pattern.:

“With nunozome fabrics are cut into shapes and placed on surfaces and transferred using a brush to bring out colors” [1]

The pieces made with these techniques have very intricate details and subtle variations in colours and shades. I was particularly impressed with the work of Nakao Hidezumi (中尾英純), Nakamura Emiko (中村ゑ美), and Uwataki Kouichi (上瀧浩一) whose works are shown just above. The variety of patterns, colours and how each layer stands out is quite stunning.

To find out more about the Japan Kogei Association; a list of the members can be found on their website with photos of their work. Here is the link to the ceramic artists exhibited at the 64th in 2017.

1. Heritage: contemporary Japanese ceramics and metalwork, Onishi Gallery, PDF document.

Wajima-nuri (輪島塗) : exquisite lacquerware.

26/6/2017

Wajima is a small and quiet coastal town on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture. In Japan and abroad Wajima is famous for its very high quality lacquerware. Today, people from all over the world come to Wajima to study this craft and hone their skills.

It seems like the production of lacquerware in Wajima started in the Muromachi period (1333-1573) but the present techniques were developed during the Edo period [1]. Due to its location and climate, Wajima has easy access to the raw materials necessary for lacquerware such as cypress trees, lacquer trees and jinoko powder [2]. This probably contributed to this craft being handed down over generations and still being thriving today.

Making a piece of lacquerware is a painstaking process. Typically, to make a simple bowl takes about six months and involves over 100 different steps. One single piece is usually handled by different craftsmen, each specialized in one field: shaping the wood, applying the lacquer, or decorating [3].

A few different things make Wajima-nuri unique. One of them is the use of a cloth wrapped around the fragile parts of the piece to make it stronger.

Then, the lacquering process involves the use of Wajima jinoko (a local sedimentary rock that is fired then grounded into a powder) mixed with lacquer to form a durable coating. Through multiple layers of coating, the shape is refined and the piece becomes more resistant [4].

While walking around Wajima and hopping from one lacquerware shop to another, I encountered the work of Katsuji Kamata at the Utsuwa Waichi gallery. The shop owner explained to me that this craftsman uses cotton cloth as a base instead of wood. This results in beautiful asymmetrical shapes that are very soft and have a mat finish. These pieces were absolutely stunning, a gorgeous modern take on this traditional craft.

If you have a chance to go to Wajima, I highly recommend going to the Lacquerware Museum to understand all the different steps involved in the production of Wajima-nuri, and then to wander around the lacquerware district next to the morning market.

[1]. An iintroduction on Wajima lacquerware and its history.
[2] & [3]. A brief introduction on the Wajima Lacquerware Museum's website.
[4]. A description of the different steps.

The Japanese tea ceremony: Karamono, Koraimono and Wamono

8/6/2017

Between April 2017 and June 2017, the National Museum in Ueno, Tokyo held a beautiful exhibition: Chanoyu, the Arts of Tea Ceremony, the Essence of Japan.
The exhibition was arranged chronologically from the introduction of the Chinese tea ceremony in Japan around the 12th century, to modern times. While the history was explained, the focus was on the objects used for tea ceremony [1]. What particularly interests me here, is the different styles of objects, in particularly tea bowls, that have been used for the tea ceremony throughout the centuries: karamono, koraimono and wamono.

Karamono (唐物) refers to artworks and objects that were imported from China and collected by the Japanese upper class. These fine objects were displayed by aristocrats at gathering, including during tea ceremonies. The term karamono mostly refers to objects produced during the Song (960 - 1279), Yuan (1271 - 1368) and Ming (1368 - 1644) Dynasties. These tea bowls have simple and open shapes but very sophisticated glazes. Pieces regarded as national treasures are of the tenmoku or yuteki (oil-spot) tenmoku type [2]. These iron-glazes produce deep and dark colours with subtle effects.

Koraimono (高麗物) is associated with objects imported from Korea, produced during the Yi Dynasty and in particular during the Joseon period (1392 - 1897). These pieces are more rough, thicker, plain. The throwing lines are visible and the shapes are sometimes asymmetrical.

Kizaemon Ido

One piece regarded as one of the best of its kind is of the Ido (井戸茶碗) type. This kind of pottery was used by commoners in Korea. That these kind of bowls were chosen for the tea ceremony in Japan is a dramatic shift from the refined Chinese potteries.

Wamono (和物) describe items that were produced in Japan. These seem to combine the elegance of the Chinese karamono with the imperfection of the Korean koraimono. Under the influence of Murata Juko, Takeno Joo and Sen No Rikyu, famous tea masters, ceramics produced in Japan were increasingly used for the tea ceremony. Sen No Rikyu would not only carefully select ceramics from Korea or China, he would also create pieces to match his philosophy. His collaboration with Chojiro, first of the Raku family is a good example of this [3]. These three tea masters devised the wabi-cha (わび茶): the Japanese tea ceremony as we know it today.

If you are interested in learning more about the Japanese tea ceremony, this page lists English books covering both the historical and technical aspects of it.

[1]. A brief introduction of the Chanoyu exhibition on the Tokyo National Museum website.
[2]. A list of the pieces exhibited at the Chanoyu Exhibition at the Tokyo National Museum in 2017.
[3]. See my previous article on the Raku family.

The Raku family

6/4/2017

Until May 21st, 2017 the MOMAT of Tokyo is holding an exhibition on Raku ware: The Cosmos in A Tea Bowl.
In western countries, raku is often associated with a firing technique that involves taking a pot out of the kiln while burning hot and putting it in a container with combustibles materials to create unpredictable patterns while cooling the pot down very quickly.
But in Japan, Raku is a family that has been making pottery in Kyoto for 15 generations since the 16th century. Raku tea bowls are highly sought after and embody the spirit of the wabi-cha promoted by Sen No Rikyu, who was a friend of Chojiro, the first generation of the Raku family.

The collaboration between Sen No Rikyu and Chojiro resulted in unique and avant garde objects. Indeed, at that time luxurious Chinese ware were prized. However, the bowls that the Raku family made for Sen No Rikyu were simple and free from any ornamentation. These pieces were first called “Ima-yaki” (今焼) meaning the “now-wares”, a name that emphasizes the contemporariness of these pieces.

The exhibit at the MOMAT presents work from each of the 15 generations and even introduces works by Raku Atsundo who will carry on the tradition as the 16th generation. While the first generations’ tea bowls are glazed with only one colour, the creations by Kichizaemon XV are a lot more audacious: the surface is like a painting with brush strokes of dark blues and whites animating the bare clay.

What striked me most in that exhibit is how timeless the Raku wares are. Looking at the bowls from the 16th century, I felt like it could have been made just yesterday. There is something about the simplicity and organicity of the shapes, the texture of the glazes that allow these pieces to go through the ages without ever becoming outdated.

To read more about this exhibit that was held in Kyoto earlier this year, I recommend this article by the Japanese Times: Raku, A traditional contemporary art form.
You can also check out the exhibition’s official website (in Japanese) with photos of Chojiro’s work.

A beautiful discovery : Tadao Ando

30/3/2017

My first encounter with Tadao Ando was in University but the true revelation came when I visited a few of his buildings on Naoshima recently, as I wrote earlier on this blog. Even though the buildings were mostly made of bare concrete, they felt very welcoming, which seemed a little contradictory at the time. This sparked in me a desire to know more about Ando’s way of designing and his philosophy.

The first main thing that emerged from the books and interviews I read was the idea of locality. Buildings are designed with the surrounding environment in mind, so that there is a continuity between the inside and outside, the nature and architecture. This is particularly apparent in the Church of Light project: without the light flooding the building, it would be nothing but a bare concrete box.

This attention to the environment was noted by Kenneth Frampton when he visited the Koshino House in Hyogo. Frampton felt that this building exemplified his theory of Cultural Regionalism in which he states that architecture should be both modern and rooted in its environment.
Tadao Ando argues that using simple geometrical forms allows him to give priority to natural elements such as the wind or the light. Furthermore, it makes us reflect on our place in this environment:

“On top of that, I think about how people will approach the building and experience that space... If you give people nothingness, they can ponder what can be achieved from that nothingness.”
Tadao Ando [1]

This leads me to what seems to be the second main element in his design process: the experience one has entering and being into a building. He writes: “Also of importance are the personal experiences one takes away from the architecture, as well as the impressions and memories that elements such as the surrounding nature impart on the visitor” [2].
This aspect of his work was influenced by the architect Carlo Scarpa who designed “with an exceptionally thorough consideration for humanity and the way people would feel in the spaces he created” [3].
The link with the environment is one side of these impressions, as stated earlier, the other one is about passing on the traditions of that place. This was striking at the Ando Museum on Naoshima: the traditional Japanese building was kept intact, while inside the space was divided by concrete walls. The contrast was stunning but still, both coexisted in perfect harmony, thanks to the light circulating and the use of unadorned materials (natural wood and concrete).

I recommend reading the Conversations with Students to know more about Tadao Ando’s work, but no picture or essay will ever surpass the experience of visiting one of his buildings.

1. Ivy, Robert. "The Spirit of Modernism" Architectural Record, May 2002, from ArchDaily
2, 3. Ando, Tadao; Hunter Matthew. Conversation with students. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2010. ISBN: 9781616890704

An art lover’s paradise: Naoshima and Teshima

13/3/2017

Teshima and Naoshima are two small islands in the beautiful Seto inland sea between Honshu and Shikoku. In the mid-eighties, Tetsuhiko Fukutake, founder of the Benesse Corporation, and Chikatsugu Miyake, then mayor of Naoshima, decided to create on these islands a place where people could gather and enjoy the pristine nature.
Since the beginning of the nineties and even more since 2000, many art projects and installations popped up on three islands: Naoshima, Teshima and Inujima.
Surrounded by stunning architecture and beautiful works of art, visiting these islands is a unique experience.
On Teshima, the Teshima Art Museum, designed by the architect Ryue Nishizawa and the Japanese artist Rei Naito, is like nothing I had ever experienced before.
This white concrete shell is tucked in the corner of rice terraces facing the sea. Before entering the museum, we are instructed to remove our shoes and use slippers. Inside, at first, it doesn’t look like there is anything but that huge bright space. But soon enough, we realize some water slowly springs from the ground. The tiny drops run on the floor, gather, run some more, form bigger puddles which eventually overflow in a tiny drain making the most beautiful sound which reverberates through the whole space. The light coming through oval openings, draws large bright circles on the ground. There is something highly mesmerizing about this place, it feels like time has stopped, like we stepped in another dimension. These photos by Iwan Baan might help you imagine what the space is like.

On Naoshima, I was amazed at Tadao Ando’s architecture who designed quite a few buildings there. The Benesse House Museum hosts a very well curated selection of contemporary art and is surrounded by beautiful sculptures. A little bit further down the road is the Lee Ufan museum. The architecture by Tadao Ando connects with Lee Ufan’s artwork beautifully to become this one entity. The entrance is monumental, and then a narrow corridor leads visitors inside the museum. Entering that art space is an fascinating experience in itself.

One could spend a few days on these islands and still not see everything but taking the time to go from one site to another is highly inspiring. After a long day, the I♥︎湯 (read: “I Love You”) public bath is a last must-see on Naoshima island.

A trip to Bizen, Japan

8/3/2017

Last month, I finally made it to Bizen in Okayama prefecture where potters have been making pots for centuries, with a peak in popularity during the Muromachi period (1338-1573). During the Edo period (1603-1868), to face the increasing demand, a communal kiln was built on the side of the mountain, south of what is now Inbe station. Today, there are only vestiges of these huge kilns: trenches and piles of pottery fragments. The ground is completely covered with these, whose colours range from deep purple to brick red with white speckles and everything in between. There are spouts, parts of jars, bowls, some with simple patterns... it is a beautiful collection of colours and textures.
Unfortunately, when Japan opened to the West in 1868, interest in japanese traditional crafts steadily declined but thanks to Kaneshige Toyo, Bizen’s pottery was preserved and revived after WW2.

Bizen-ware is left unglazed but depending on the placement in the kiln, different effects can be obtained. There are 6 different kinds of visual styles: Goma, Sangiri, Botamochi, Hidazuki, Aobizen and Fuseyaki. Of course the results are never certain, since it’s impossible to control the flames perfectly.
These six different styles are exhibited at the Bizen Ware Art Museum across from Inbe station. When I went there in February 2017, they had a beautiful collection of pieces from Tadashi Hirakawa on the second floor. His collection of Antipodes and Space-time works caught my eyes with their thick walls and clean shapes.

Tadashi Hirakawa has spent years trying to rebuild medieval kilns from Bizen which were not made of fire resistant bricks as it was later, but from a structure covered in soft clay ; hence the name Tsuchigama (clay kiln). It was very interesting to see videos and photos of the kiln he built in Arkansas with Chris Powell.
On the third floor of the museum, pieces by the potters honoured as intangible cultural property and living national treasures are exhibited. One of them, Jun Isezaki became a Living National Treasure back in 2004. Jun Isezaki‘s pieces are very sculptural, an interesting mix between traditional techniques and contemporary art.

The main street in Inbe is lined up with countless galleries, most of them adjacent to the pottery studio. Going from gallery to gallery, hearing about the family stories was a wonderful experience. At Ichiyougama, the owner agreed to show us the Noborigama (climbing kiln) in the backyard. They fill it with thousands of pieces and fire it about twice a year. Going inside the kiln, we could see how the chambers were connected and how the air could flow from one to another.

Bizen ware has gorgeous colours and textures, one single piece has so much to offer to the eye. The shapes can be smooth and very refined but also very rough. I loved looking at these, imagining the swift and expert movement that shaped the clay. These pieces feel alive, like they have a story to tell. I brought back home a couple of pieces, one is a bowl by Yasushi Mori with beautiful colours and the other one is a gorgeous cup by Nobuyoshi Shibaoka . There is something very special about using such stunning pieces everyday.