Tuesday, April 28, 2009

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.

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