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)