It was the International Ceramic Festival this week end. I was lucky enough to be working on my daughter’s Chai Bike stall. Well, to be honest I wasn’t doing much work- she was though! She sold out in 1.5hrs on day two. It is a great festival; orange, drama and alchemy. Potters like a bit of theatre, waiting for dark to open up kilns or salt glaze firing. It reminded me of my college days in the 80s. Just like we did 40 years ago, they sat round their kilns, making up cigarette rollies, stoking the fires with wood to keep the kiln warmed up ready for the Saturday night boost. It is an endearing site, a shared ethos combined with bottled cider, music, cooking stews over a fire pit, philosophising and true camaraderie. Potters are a generous group.
Saturday night is usually the theatrical event of the festival, a raku firing kiln was built like a tall column. Once hitting temperature, and the sun has set, the kiln was taken apart. The potters were using face protectors, massive heat gloves and aprons in a reveal. Watch you beards boys! We were able to see the spectacle from the Scala Staircase on the university concourse. Perfect. Sawdust was thrown on the dragon to create him breathing fire. These sort of firings are always such a risk; the pot can shatter with this extreme form of firing but it all adds to the drama.
Sunday daytime the other kilns were opened up and the bonanza mug sale is held. I bought two. Keith Brymer-Jones, lovingly known to us all as KBJ, gave an inspirational talk loaded with humour, sadness and reflection. His plans for the future are ambitious and inspiring.
What have the government done? Cutting the arts in schools is bonkers. So many children are being denied from having that unique experience of touching and working in clay; so many kilns lay dormant in schools. Keith will be setting up an academy in Pwllheli in an old chapel. Brilliant and thank you. He is taking up the mantel that the late Sir Ken Robinson left.
The week end bonus for me was…having the opportunity to have a quick chat with the great man and give him some masala chai from one of his bucket mugs I won in a competition a couple of years ago. I was clear star struck.
On the Friday morning I was working with a tutor who was assessing the new module we have in Lifelong Learning called Paperclay: Pushing Boundaries. What a privilege it was to hear the students speak so confidently about their experience and ideas. Thank you. They all certainly ‘pushed the boundaries’ of the material.
And finally a big thank you to the Festival Team for creating a happy event and ensuring it ran so smoothly. Hwre!
and in case you haven’t seen it….
and if you have his ‘word mugs’….
aberdabbadoo -Walks 
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