Watch Jim Keeling from Whichford Pottery as he talks about the work of Koichiro Isezaki. He talks about the respect that Japanese potters have for their materials and the Anagama tradition in Bizen pottery. Keeling shows us how the path of the flame, over a 7 day wood firing, is used to decorate Isezaki’s unglazed pots and how he makes his distinctive ‘collapsed’ pots. We are treated to footage shot earlier this year at Koichiro Isezaki’s studio in Japan by our We Love Clay team.
anagama
Critic’s Choice | Nic Collins | Large Bottles
Goldmark Gallery’s Max Waterhouse takes a look at a selection of Nic Collins’ magnificent large bottles. Every bottle tell the story of its precarious journey from from the wheel to surviving the intense anagama firing.
Documentary | Ken Matsuzaki | Elemental
Ken Matsuzaki is a Japanese potter working from Mashiko who enjoys an international reputation. He was apprenticed to the late Tatsuzo Shimaoka (National Living Treasure) who in turn had been apprenticed to Shoji Hamada. Matsuzki’s work can be seen in some of the world’s most prestigious private collections.
This 45 minute film shows him throwing in his workshop and features unique footage of him firing his Anagama kiln, with the help of British potter Phil Rogers who commentates on the process. The film ends with Matsuzaki’s 2007 major exhibition of pots at the Goldmark Gallery in Uppingham, Rutland.
Talking Pots | Nic Collins | Enormous Dishes
Made for a major UK exhibition, these dishes only just squeezed into his new anagama kiln with inches to spare and survived the five day wood firing needed to decorated these astonishing pots with ash.
Unfortunately, some of the surrounding pots weren’t so lucky, breaking during the firing and eventually becoming part of the surface of these large dishes. But Collins is very philosophical about it “This is all part of the story, this is what I love about wood firing”.
Watch the film to find out the full story!