‘Hey! Come back to Earth!’
In short, Get Real!
Fired clay has been in human consciousness for as long as 30,000 years : it has fed our spiritual needs through sculpture, and our design needs in the form of vessels and tableware. Through sunbaked and fired bricks, clay has provided us with housing and architecture.
Human civilization has always been fascinated by light, even considering light sources as divine. Materials with natural luminescence or translucence were considered precious. Therefore, when glass became accessible about 4000 years ago, it became a natural choice for many because of its unique quality for light to pass through.
Ceramics and glass are interrelated, minerals from the earth are transformed into hardy materials - opaque, translucent and transparent - for human use. Glass gives a clear view of the world - both literally and metaphorically, and clay is the ground below our feet.
The basic forms in ceramic and glass and the way to create them have also remained the same since ancient times, yet they continue to excite and engage makers by repeating the traditions of centuries ago, keeping the link unbroken.
As boundaries between art, craft, and design blur in a world where the Real competes with the Digital, the hand-made object becomes so much more precious.
BACK TO EARTH brings together a selection of small studios in India working with the most ancient materials, grounded in solid studio work, who have perfected some aspect of their craft : a glaze recipe, a special form, the use of a brush, or simply combining materials. Each tell a story unique to their ethos.
This design show is meant to be a delightful sampling of contemporary and functional works, for the home.
They carry the dreams, memories, artistic musings and practices of the makers directly into your home.
They have a sense of wonder and place - which goods of the globalized and hyper- industrialized world cannot offer.
Shirley Bhatnagar
August 2022
In short, Get Real!
Fired clay has been in human consciousness for as long as 30,000 years : it has fed our spiritual needs through sculpture, and our design needs in the form of vessels and tableware. Through sunbaked and fired bricks, clay has provided us with housing and architecture.
Human civilization has always been fascinated by light, even considering light sources as divine. Materials with natural luminescence or translucence were considered precious. Therefore, when glass became accessible about 4000 years ago, it became a natural choice for many because of its unique quality for light to pass through.
Ceramics and glass are interrelated, minerals from the earth are transformed into hardy materials - opaque, translucent and transparent - for human use. Glass gives a clear view of the world - both literally and metaphorically, and clay is the ground below our feet.
The basic forms in ceramic and glass and the way to create them have also remained the same since ancient times, yet they continue to excite and engage makers by repeating the traditions of centuries ago, keeping the link unbroken.
As boundaries between art, craft, and design blur in a world where the Real competes with the Digital, the hand-made object becomes so much more precious.
BACK TO EARTH brings together a selection of small studios in India working with the most ancient materials, grounded in solid studio work, who have perfected some aspect of their craft : a glaze recipe, a special form, the use of a brush, or simply combining materials. Each tell a story unique to their ethos.
This design show is meant to be a delightful sampling of contemporary and functional works, for the home.
They carry the dreams, memories, artistic musings and practices of the makers directly into your home.
They have a sense of wonder and place - which goods of the globalized and hyper- industrialized world cannot offer.
Shirley Bhatnagar
August 2022
-
-
-
-