Oct. 19, Sunday, “Yui’s Pottery Project 2014” Lunch Party
We asked the people who took part in the workshop, those who had sent their vessels as an invitation, and last year’s Yui Team members to come together for a lunch party. The party was held to promote communication and interaction through the lunch using the bowls and sakura motif cups made during this year’s project.
We cooked with the participants who had volunteered to join us. We made kenchinjiru, fried hikina, which is a local dish of Fukushima prefecture, and added to these planned dishes, the participants brought in taro potatoes, sweet potatoes, komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach) and many other vegetables and other homemade dishes. The atmosphere was very friendly with the participants, who were full of energy, helping and teaching us how to make the dishes as we prepared for the lunch party. During the lunch, people reflected on the dishes they had created, and spoke about the words the recipients of the dishes had said to them, about the reaction when they saw the dishes, about the earthquake, about the current refugees situation 3 and 1/2 years after the nuclear power plant accident, about things on their minds now, and even about their hobbies and interests, touching on a wide range of subjects.
Finally, while we were delighted to hear that some people said that they would definitely like to come back again next year, we also pulled ourselves together to prepare for the next project. We would like to continue with the project in which the participants can enjoy making pottery and also bring out the best of our originality as the “Yui’s Pottery”. We would like to hold meetings to discuss what we had learned in the interaction this time and apply our experience to improve future initiatives. (Noguchi, 3rd Year at School of Art & Design)

At the 2nd Yui’s Pottery Project, glazing and loading of the kiln for the glost-firing were carried out with the participants. Once again, the participants were very enthusiastic about creating their own dishes. First, the participants saw their own creation after a week. They were surprised by the change between before and after the bisque firing. They were also pleased with the sakura motif that had beautifully appeared on the surface of the cups. This time, we used a glaze called limestone glaze-3, which turns transparent when fired at a high temperature (1250℃). Since the glaze must be applied to the bisque fired ware in one go, some of the participants were having trouble, but they also seemed to be enjoying the intense, focal moment of putting the glaze on their work. When the vessels were glazed, they were rather hard to distinguish which one belonged to whom, but next week, after the gloss firing, many a one-and-only, unique pieces of work will be completed. The participants loaded the kiln, looking forward to next week’s results. Next week, on Sept. 28, there will be an occasion to show off the finished works, and we will take time for a pack-and-send task to invite everyone’s special person to whom the created vessels will be presented. We hope to make next week’s workshop another memorable one full of fun. (Nagano, 3rd Year at School of Art & Design)

On Tuesday, Sept. 16, the vessels made at the workshop on Sunday, the 14th, were loaded into the kiln. Seeing the rows of clayware a few days after the participants had created their very original works, I felt a sense of relief. We made a record of which work belonged to which person, put them in the kiln, and then the staff discussed and decided on the temperature of the firing. (Since this was a bisque firing, we set it at 800℃.) That was all for the day. Because the vessels will appear very different after the firing, we are already looking forward to the results! (Noguchi, 3rd Year at School of Art & Design)

On Sept. 14, a lovely, clear autumn Sunday, the 1st session of Yui’s Pottery Workshop was held. People came from Futaba-cho, Tomioka-cho and Naraha-cho in Fukushima, and people currently living in Tsukuba, Tsukuba residents and students from abroad also took part in this lively gathering.
More than half the participants this year had taken part last year, too, and we were delighted that they had come back this year with the determination to “create something better than last year!” For the 1st workshop, a cup and bowl were made using 2-piece gypsum molds. Two participants paired up and made a prototype, each using half the gypsum mold. For the cups, which were made first, sakura (cherry blossoms) motif nerikomi (A marbling technique) blocks that we, the staff, had prepared beforehand were used, and for the bowls, the participants created their own original clay slabs with pink clay and white clay, then shaped and pressed them into the molds. The two forms were joined together and a base was attached. The participants, when trying to come up with a pattern, enthusiastically discussed with neighboring pairs whom they had met for the first time. If any of them seemed to be having problems, the staff offered advice. The workshop was carried out in an atmosphere where there was continual and mutual communication. The participants let out a “Wow!” when the students did a demonstration; they told us in detail what parts they took special care to make right; they also spoke about their thoughts about their future. Through the making of the pottery wares, not just the cups and bowls, but the earthquake, the damages, the current life, the future, and many other things on many levels seem to come together. We, the staff, conducted meetings after meetings to discuss what we were going to do, what we wanted to do, and went about doing what we had to do to prepare for this workshop. Since each one of us did his/her job well, the 1st session turned out to be a success.　The next session is next week, Sunday, Sept. 21. We will put the glaze on the cups and bowls that were made on this day. I hope to make the next session as lively and fun, as well! (Noguchi, 3rd Year at School of Art & Design)