ひもづくり

Himozukuri is a series of coil pots, that I made over the first year of our daughter’s life. Running off solar and minimal batteries our house didn’t have power at night for the electric pottery wheel to turn, but in the dark whilst my daughter slept, I had time to work.

So, I made coil pots. Rolling out long ropes of clay and then pressing, pinching and smoothing layer to layer, directing a shape into a form. Coiling in comparison to throwing is easier to set up, clean up, leave from and return. It is quiet and I could do it next to the fire, be within earshot of the baby and be available to parent.

It had been a few years since I had made coil pots. I looked back over past images and liked a series I made in 2017. It took time to find a rhythm to make pieces that were both challenging and balanced.  As it is for most new parents, it was difficult to concentrate whilst experiencing a new kind of tiredness, as well as a distracted happiness and a shift in priorities. However, that I was in some capacity being productive, had my own time and was refreshing a skill, felt important. Some of the pieces had too sudden a flare and collapsed, others were awkward and were uncoiled, wedged up and rolled out again. Over a few months the pots got bigger, more confident, and certain shapes began repeating - narrow at the base growing to an exaggeratedly wide body, finished with a simple neck.

Although bigger isn’t better, after almost fifteen years working with clay it still feels like an achievement to make large stable works. These pots will always remind of me of my daughter and becoming a parent. I look forward to making clay ropes with her in the daylight.

Asuka Mew 高田 飛鳥