Meet the Speakers- Takeshi Yasuda

Takeshi Yasuda is speaking at the Triennale at 9.00 on Saturday the 17th of July.

In his own words here is short history of his amazing and diverse career:
"My name is Takeshi Yasuda. I am a British potter born in Japan where I trained at Mashiko for two years and stayed another eight years as a working potter until moving to the United Kingdom thirty years ago. I have taught in British colleges for over 25 years but never took a full time teaching position. At the moment, I am teaching at Alfred University for a semester. "

This precis is taken from a very interesting letter Takeshi Yasuda wrote in reply to John Britt's assertion that "The Unknown Craftsman is Dead" in April 2008. You can read the whole reply, gentle, funny and probing as it is here

Currently the Director at the Jingdezhen Pottery Workshop in China, Takeshi Yasuda is well known for his unique tableware and his critical survey of European eating habits. This beautiful bowl is typical of his gestural approach to form and throwing. Yasuda's commitment to the ritual and importance of food and vessels in our lives is illustrated in the combination of the oriental "precious" materials (porcelain and celadon) meeting the occidental "precious" of the gold. This form uses gold leaf to subvert the expectation of the formal dinner set decorated in gold set in place throughout western ceramic history. The relaxed tension of the throwing combined with the formal, historical and even religious association of gilding create a vessel that is a lyrical meditation on nexus between creation and the ritual of eating. This pot creates a dialogue between the everyday and philosophical.

Meet the Speakers- Marek Cecula

Marek Cecula is a keynote speaker at the Australian Ceramics Triennale. His diverse output ranges from playful post-modern comment on the nature of contemporary ceramics and our interaction with objects through to amazing industrial design.

"ZIG ZAG TEAPOT 1
Extreme teapot where spout and handle make the most of the form and linear decor, stretching the limits of conventional tea serving. This strongly decorative design with links to art deco and modernistic architecture will guide you in creating a stylish."(from Marek Cecula's website)

One thing that is consistent over Marek Cecula's oeuvre is his irreverent approach to ceramics as a material.


These works entitled In Dust Real (2004)
"Select(ed) forms from various porcelain manufactures (which) were “burned again” in high temperature in traditional anagama wood fire kilns to achieve totally opposite condition from conventional industrial standards.
Destruction of classic pose and twist in appearance, breaks down established values and standards of a mass-product, as we know it, long hours of wood fire leaves marks of ash and fire on the industrial forms, transforming the classic porcelain into new original artwork." (from Marek Cecula's website)




Marek Cecula also has many years as an educator at Parson's School of Design in New York and today he is a professor at KHIB National College of Art & Design in Begen Norway.

Marek Cecula will present a keynote address at 9 o'clock on Friday the 17th of July

Meet the Speakers- Dr Damon Moon

This is the work of Dr Damon Moon. He says

"This work is aligned with the Anglo oriental style of studio pottery which was pioneered in France in the late 19th century and gained prominence in England and Japan in the early 20th century.

As such, this work belongs to one of the dominant strands of modern craft theory, whereby archaic Asian and European ceramic traditions were reinterpreted within contemporary society. My current work leans towards a more traditionalist approach, as is evidenced by the functional, classical forms and glazes and the extensive use of unrefined materials such as wood ash, rocks and clays, often gathered from the local area."

Dr Moon uses a traditional japanese kickwheel you can see a demonstration of this fascinating ancient technique here:

On Monday 20 July Damon Moon will be appearing as a keynote speaker in the final session of the Australian Ceramics Triennale.

Welcome to the Australian Ceramics Triennale

Welcome to the Australian Ceramics Triennale Blog!

The wonderful pots in our header are made by Australian potter Bronwyn Kemp.
"These vessels are meditations on on distant horizons and landscapes rendered vague and hazy by heat and light. Kemp draws on memory of these places to create evocative porcelain forms whose surface and glaze suggest the atmosphere and clouds, distant horizons and sweeping cartographic contours."(Stephen Bowers- Jamfactory, Adelaide, Australia)

Artists from Australian, UK, Korea, America and Japan will be descending on Sydney for the Triennale. This blog has been set up to give you a taste of the art, people and issues that will engage and excite the participants of the first Australian Ceramics Triennale.

The Australian Ceramics Triennale has invited art galleries and institutions to participate in this event by presenting exhibitions and collections during the month of July 2009. This four day conference is an opportunity to view the richness and diversity of contemporary ceramics with keynote addresses, panel discussions, trade fair and exhibition opportunities, workshops and demonstrations.