Our Brockwell Lido project’s stamp that was specially designed for the event.

(Source: timothyekins)

            This term started with a collaborative project with Graphic Design and Illustration students, for which we had to come up with ideas for what Camberwell needs. We decided that “Camberwell needs a theme week.” We brainstormed the themes for each day and picked the best ones, since we were a group of 5 each member of the group was given a day of the week to focus on, mine was “tarty tuesday!”  linking this day to tarts was even funnier so I made some clay tarts for this project. The graphic students then designed a layout and made these into a small magazine. This project was a quite different and really useful way to start the new semester because we learnt how to make all our different styles work together,  into a simple layout that creates a uniform design.

The clock project differed from the past projects from the first term, the brief was straightforward. I started off my project by visiting antique and clock making shops to learn more about the background of clocks. I then looked into contemporary designs and even thought about looking further and make a clock according to Mars’ time zone but since it was something that was already done and we are facing more problems on the earth, this project could be a kick start to solve problems by designing something sustainable. I looked into many materials and contacted some suppliers. Unfortunately, the materials that I thought about were either not available in the UK or haven’t been launched yet, so for my prototype. At first, my design required carving by hand (which increases the labor time). Therefore I decided to change my design for something that is simpler and doesn’t require much to put together. I visited CutLaserCut in  Vauxhall and explained my design to them. They provided both  the laser cutting service and materials. Of course  making the prototype costs way more than making things in bulk, so in order to make the pricing closer to the brief that we were given, they told me to order around 500 pieces.

After the lecture by Tanvi Kant, seeing how she used Indian craftsmanship in her works made me learn more about “Persian crafts”. Therefore, for the Unit 3 essay I chose to pick craft of Pottery which is among popular crafts in Iran. Yuda explained me the process of throwing and I got the opportunity to talk to Mrs. Nasrin Molazem, head of the Khorasan province’s pottery association and owner of Naghsh Pottery. I also talked to Camberwell college’s head of ceramics and tutors about job perceptions and aspects of pottery but unfortunately I didn’t get the chance to do the process and throw a pot myself. However, I have enrolled for pottery courses  in Iran this summer which I am really looking forward to it.

 For the lido project we were divided into 5 groups and were asked to make a proposal for an activity related to the Olympics. we brain stormed all the possible ideas and picked the best ones. I illustrated them for the first presentation. We really insisted on a 1930’s theme. Our chosen idea was a boat race for which we had to make podiums and medals. On our meetings we had divided the materials and everything was going as we planned but our project failed miserably because of the poor weather conditions and after 2 races we were instructed to halt the activity. We spent over the budget already and it was really hard for us to see how our project has failed, so we came up with a backup plan and decided to make a booklet, illustrating things we can make with a pile of bricks, ropes and dinghy boats. ‘The key ideas: You reject’ lecture was also really beneficial to see how designers have downfalls in their careers, yet they learn from their mistakes. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

I found the crochet workshop really productive, what I loved about crochet is that there is always a way to go back and fix your mistakes.  At the moment I’m practicing different techniques of crochet making that I see online and I’m planning on making a crochet collection!

Standing on the podiums we made with my groupmates: Billy and Xiaowen.

Ultimately, in the scientific modern industry, since clay is a durable material when it is fired and is relatively cheap, human has raised its profile and expanded the variety of products that can be made by clay. For instance, pottery ware are not limited to domestic use only and nowadays the very same material can be used in the car industry in making the engines. Ornamentation in modern pottery specially in commercial variety might not be used with the same intention as the old ones, modern pottery is more design orientated, particularly now that other materials are available for making domestic wares, leaving potteries just a personal preference. Moreover, the retail perception of pottery is that it is cheap due to mass production and material value. Traditionally, since potteries are made of low cost natural resources, people don’t expect to spend a lot of money on them comparing to other crafts that are for example made of silver and gold. On the contrary, in modern ceramics, there are expensive potteries available. For instance, designers like Grayson Perry throw pots which are significantly more expensive than the industrial made variety. Consequently, retail prices of the modern ceramics are based on the marketing and designers while the material plays a small role.

            Lane (1998, p.10) states that “pottery is an international language for the expression of feeling.” Potters express it through the choice of materials and variety of  combinations of ceramic methods and processes and the outcome will be the representation of their feeling.  Not only physical skills but also, mental skills play a major role in defining an idea.  The action of physical moves by hand is a response to orders from the brain. A pleasant pottery is  a result of a innovative mind which brought up by knowledge and  performed with adequate skill (Lane, 1998). Furthermore, decorative design along with pottery are among the first signs of civilization and have been present since prehistoric times. According to Alexander (1965) design indicates three-dimensional form and is creating a plan for making of any object that is intended to have functional and decorative aspects. Nevertheless, decorative design implies two-dimension form that cannot be independent; it requires space, choice of line, color and thrust, to emphasize the design. Thus, decorative design adopts the basic devices, motifs and ideas from which all ornament and decorated are based on. Yoshida (1972, p.4) writes “…the myriad patterns incised on the pottery of long ago are never simple ornamentation: they are the language of the ancients, their prayers and grievances.” Ornamentation on some of the early pieces were drawn simply by fingernails and motifs were created to express ideas  and visually present certain knowledge and myth. 

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Lane, P. (1998), Ceramic Form. London: Collins.

Alexander, M. J. (1965), Decorative Design and Ornament. New York: Tudor Publishing Company.

Yoshida, M. (1972), Persian Pottery. Tokyo: Tankosha.

Pottery’s main material is clay. Most of the clays drive from the granite-type rocks; which noticeably covers the earth’s crust; therefore, it is a material that is available worldwide.  Clay was a prominent material for early human technology, it was used for both functional and decorative purposes. According to Dresser (1973), there are many reasons that clay is the most desirable material to create utility and beauty with. First of all, it is really low in price but high in quality; therefore, it has an advantage over  many other options. Further, it is flexible and can be worked into beautiful shapes. In addition, its natural color is not only beautiful on its own, but also is capable of being dyed into any color and preserve the applied colors for ages. Ultimately, the soft surface of the model made so sensitive and gets affected by the last touches of potter’s fingers. 

The most simple and basic methods of pottery, that were used from the ancient times up to now, are called pinching and coiling. Pinching is a technique in which potter holds the clay in his hands and uses his thumb and fingers to gently squeeze a piece of clay to create the desired shape. Coiling also is a handmade process and the pot is made by  pieces of rolled clay, attached around a clay base on a surface. For larger pieces, potter had to walk around the object to finish it rather than turning it by a tool because then it would leave marks on the surface. There are also two techniques which require moulds named slab-building and press-moulding. In both techniques the clay has to be rolled out on a on flat surface and cut to an even thickness. The outcome of slab-building is a hard edged object, for this, the clay has to harden enough to get the form of the mould and the edges should be trimmed, then the joints should be painted with a clay and water mixed liquid before binding them together. Press moulding produces round-edged objects by simply pressing a sheet of clay into the mould to take its shape and then it is taken out by hand and can be trimmed. While the early ceramics were made by a simple pinching or coiling technique, the craft of pottery improved through invention of tournettes in 4000 B.C. Tournettes, later developed to potter’s wheel, were a rotatable base on which potter coiled a pot while being able to turn it by either his hand or by foot. This tool made the coiling process quicker and also helped the potters with finishing, trimming and smoothing simply by twisting it instead of walking around the object. With invention of fast wheels, ‘throwing’ process was created. Throwing technique made a progress in industrialization and mass production since it allowed the potters to make more objects easier in shorter amount of time. At the beginning of the throwing process, in order to prepare the right amount of clay, the pottery needs to roughly know the size of the pot is going to be thrown and essentially if the shape is going to be long or shallow. In most cases, design is applied on a wheel since there is a significant difference between drawing a profile of a vessel on the paper and on a wheel. The clay block should be put on the center of the wheel, starting with a slow speed, hands need to be wet and stabilized on the thighs to give the clay equal and steady pressure. While increasing the speed gradually, it is crucial to keep the clay warm and hands lubricated periodically since the water gets absorbed and the clay dries. Clay can be compacted optionally by pushing the clay upwards and pressing it downwards using both hands. The next step is to open the clay by using the thumbs, pressing the center of rotation downwards and for wider pieces, wheel should rotate slower. Lastly, fingers are used to shape the clay as well as trimming it as desired by using specific tools (Appendix A).

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Zhao, Y. (2012), The Process of Throwing. [conversation] (Personal communication, 8 March 2012).

Arts and crafts define the cultural phenomena of a country. They present activities and developments throughout the history as well as the beliefs and culture of a society. In the ancient times, craftsmen contributed their experience and talent in creating objects which were practical and often slightly decorative or even ritual. Craftsmen were individuals who were skilled and masters in a specific craft. For instance, a potter did pottery, a carpenter was skilled in constructing objects with wood, a blacksmith created objects from metal, and a tailor knew everything related to clothing. Furthermore, Pottery is a prehistoric activity; additionally, fragments of the artefacts are found by activities such as excavation in different parts of the world. In ceramics these pieces are called potsherds. Additionally, archaeologists found the ceramic sculpture of a woman referred as Dolni Vestonice Venus in a Czechoslovakian site which dates back to 26,000 years ago (Lienhard, 1988). Moreover, the oldest pottery ware found were fragments of vessels in Yuchanyan cave in China from 16,000 B.C. (BBC, 2009). In spite of the little number of complete pots survived, Pottery’s durability also provides archaeologists insight of many matters; potsherds declare the age and people’s lifestyle of the site being excavated. Hence, their shapes, ornamentations, the clays that the pieces are made of, the methods used in shaping them, and the layer they were found in, all in all provides the information about people’s attitude towards each other, their daily lives, culture, religion, as well as the past’s condition. Admittedly, prehistoric people used other materials such as wood, leather and even basketwork to make containers, but unless they were preserved, most of them have vanished. Potteries have therefore the strength of surviving through centuries and reveal the date and cultural affinities of one site. The main focus of this research will be on the process and main techniques of pottery. It will then seek to explore the importance of motifs used on the artifacts which not only helped people save their culture and beliefs but also provides archaeologists accurate information about the ancient times.

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Lienhard, J., 1988. The Dolni Vestonice Ceramics, University of Houston,  [online] Available at:<http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi359.htm> [Accessed 26 March 2012]. 

Palmer, J., 2009. Oldest pottery found in China. BBC News, [online] 1 June. Available at: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8077168.stm> [Accessed 26 March 2012].

On Friday 27th of April, I spoke to Mr. John Ford, head of ceramics of Camberwell College of the Arts about the modern pottery’s purpose and retail perception.

How has the role of pottery changed throughout the history?

20000 years ago, it was made purely for functional, religious and spiritual reasons. In some cultures people made potteries for funerals to bury with the dead. Now it is made mostly for decorative reasons. Clay is durable and cheap and our society has became more technical and scientific. They understand the materials more, so they make bigger variety of stuff. For example, some of Japanese cars engines are made of clay.

What is the retail perception of throwing? 

The perception is that it’s cheap.Clay is stuff on the ground  and has no value. Having said that, there is some very expensive pottery available, for example, Grayson Perry throws 30000 pots while the industrial made version costs around 15. The cost of materials play a small role while the pricing has more to do with the marketting and designer.

On Monday 23rd of April, I went to Central Saint Martin’s to ask one of the ceramics tutors a  few questions.

How long does it take to learn the process?

            Usually for a short and small basic cylinder, it takes a day to learn the basics of centering.

How design is applied in throwing?

            Probably some initial design work but when you are throwing sometimes you get the feel for it as things move, while for a production thrower the shape stays the same.

What is the main role of decoration in pottery?

            In domestic ware, a glaze makes the pottery water resistant so it makes it functional at the same time by preventing any leaks, and then it is purely aesthetic.

What are some examples of decoration techniques in pottery?

            Stamps, pressing and raised relief.

Has the role of potters changed throughout the history?

            Definitely, nowadays it is more design orientated and more about the idea and less about the execution.

An outfit collage based on 1930’s theme for Brockwell Lido’s project.

I am delighted to have been able to do an interview with Ms. Nasrin Molazem, head of the Razavi Khorasan province’s pottery association and owner of Naghsh Pottery. 

What was the main purpose of pottery?

            After basket weaving, pottery is the oldest prehistoric craft. The discovery of fire plays a major role on the improvement of pottery process. In the past, pottery ware were the best equipment for preserving liquids and nowadays they are not only functional but also decorative.

Were potteries functional or more for decorative purposes?

            Pottery ware had different use in different cultures. Unglazed wares were mostly used to keep liquids cool, on the other hand, if the purpose was to preserve oil then glazed wares were the best option. Nowadays, with the improvement on technology, different materials are available for these purposes so pottery ware are just a choice depending on one’s taste.

What was the purpose of ornamentation?

            Ornaments on old crafts are really important – they show the situation on the area that the craftsmen lived in, for example they are evidence of wars, drought, new cultural influences, and social and political conflicts. 

Are motifs just decorative?

            If we look at the motifs art wise, they are surely meant to tell something from the maker to the viewer. While in the modern commercial pottery, in most cases they are meaningless. Since pottery is a sustainable practice and remains in the nature without doing any harm, I, as a potter believe that the next generation has to find out more about the past’s revolutionary reflection .

Do you think that motifs have more meanings beyond those lines?

             Motifs have the strongest shapes in them, whether they are simplified during centuries or the ones that were improved by introducing new cultures. Reviewing the past is finding the common points between different cultures and religions, and it is possible to see them within the shapes of motifs in different crafts, for example the geometric pattern of Ipomoea flower was loved in Chinese culture, later the simplified shape of the flower was used in Quran  illuminations, this pattern was later improved in the Safavid dynasty and became known as Shah Abasi flower.

I am eager to learn more about ceramics, in particular, throwing clay since it is something that I have never done before. At the beginning my research, I asked Yuda, a classmate of mine, the process of throwing clay since he has done it before and his friend own a pottery company in China.

Before throwing you have to know roughly how big the pot is going to be essentially if the shape is long or shallow so u can prepare the right amount of clay. You might not know the exact shape, most potters design on a wheel since there is a huge difference between drawing a profile of a vessel on the paper and on a wheel. After putting the clay block on the center of the wheel, wet your hands and start with a slow speed and it is important to stabilize your hands on your thighs and make sure you are giving the clay equal and steady pressure by your hands so it won’t shake and you force the clay to be centered. It is also crucial to keep the clay warm and hands lubricated, so the you have to wet your hands periodically since the water is absorbed and the clay dries. The speed should be increased gradually. Using both of your hands, push the clay upwards and press it down by one hand a few times to compact the clay. The next step is to open the clay by using your thumbs and pressing the center of rotation downwards. For wider pieces, wheel should rotate slower, pay attention for the wall so it has even thickness. Too much lube can collapse the piece. Stretching the clay depends on the potter’s choice. In throwing, it takes so much care and attention to throw the design the way that potter has in mind. Then you can use your fingers and shape the clay as desired and then trim the clay using specific tools.

Some of the Persian proverbs are driven from old stories. There is one regarding someone who thinks he knows everything about something but in fact there is a small yet important technique he doesn’t know which can ruin the whole thing! I translated the original story from Persian and you can read in below. 

Once upon a time, there was an experienced potter whose glazed works were really successful and sold out quick. He had a smart pupil that he liked so much and taught him all the techniques that he knew. When the pupil learnt everything, he started whinning about his income and thought if he works on his own he’d make more money. The potter asked him to stay longer so that they can work together and he can learn more, but he was so confident and refused to stay.

The pupil set up his own workshop and made an earthen bowl, painted and glazed it then put it in the kiln. Inappropriately, his bowl turned out opaque. He started again, chose a better soil, and carefully dyed and glazed the bowl using the highest grade materials. Nevertheless, his bowl turned out dull again. 

He understood that there is something missing and returned to the potter, explained the problem and begged him to help! The potter said: “It is true that all the successful pupils will become masters one day, but you left me untime. If you stay one more year, I promise that you will find out your mistake.” The pupil stayed and paid more attention this time, but he didn’t seem to understand what was going wrong, until one day the potter told him why his glazed pots are all matte. The potter picked a bowl and blew on it and showed him the dust that raised from it, then said: “This is the puff technique, when a bowl stays in the workshop for a couple of days, it gets covered by a layer of dust. In the kiln the dust gets mixed with the glaze and that is why the color becomes matte. If you blow on it, it becomes clean and comes out sleek. Your works were alright, just lacked the last puff!” 

My groupmates for this project are Tim, Charlotte, Billy, Cally, Xiaowen and Hannah.

After several brainstorms we decided to work on a boat racing game. The game consists of boats and ropes and the players have to sit on the boat, the game starts with the sound of whistle and players need to pull the rope until they reach the other end of the pool.  After the game, players will be asked to stand on the podium. The first person wins a gold medal, second and third will receive silver and bronze medals respectively. This game encourages the public to engage with the lido and the participants receive the medals that are uniquely designed for this activity.