'There is a kind of insanity about it.' Why pottery is the new cool kid of the arts
Pottery provides the challenges people may be lacking in their everyday lives
There is something, dare we say, sexy about throwing down a hunk of clay, coaxing it into a long vessel and using your hands on the spinning form to shape its ultimate form.
Pottery looks so #satisfying and #asmr soothing, that it's finding big audiences on social media — but now the ancient art form is getting a prime-time spotlight in Canada.
The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down, now available free on CBC Gem, pits some of Canada's top potters against each other, all racing to create the perfect object. The only problem? Tight timelines, cracking clay, unpredictable glaze, kiln drama, and battling against your new friends to survive to the next week.
Hosted by Jennifer Robertson and with appearances by guest judge Seth Rogen, the show explores this multifaceted medium, from graceful sculptures to practical objects — Rogen's own first piece was an ashtray.
And he's not the only celeb known to play with clay to de-stress: A-listers Brad Pitt, Nick Cave and Leonardo Dicaprio have also been known to get their hands dirty. "I really love making something physical," says Rogen in an interview with Q's Tom Power, "it's nice to be doing something that forces you to be in the moment. It gets you out of your head."
As for that reputation of ceramics as a peaceful hobby? It isn't accurate anyway, says show judges Brendan Tang and Natalie Waddell.
"There is a kind of insanity about it," Tang admits about the unpredictable results — particularly with kilns. "Like, you'll work on a piece for hours and hours and hours. And then you throw it into this sort of 'random generating machine' where your glaze colours could go totally crazy."
Watch | Contestants talk about pottery's biggest misconceptions
There's a certain "alchemy and magic" to the whole process, says the sculpture ceramicist, based in Vancouver.
"I think that's also in the lore that we get," Tang adds. "It's like, I think we live in a very rational world. And I think ceramics does provide a bit of magic back into our lives."
Waddell, a Toronto-based ceramicist and educator, has a slightly different take on the ups and downs.
"I was just describing a glaze to a group of students last night and I said, 'This glaze can be really beautiful. It can also be really terrible,'" she says. "I said, 'It's like that wild friend that shows up at a party and you never know what you're going to get.' And you're excited to see what happens."
'Satisfying and joyful': The cool kid of the arts
Waddell's been on the wheel long enough to notice the "ebb and flow" of pottery's popularity over the years. She thinks the current interest stems from ceramics gaining ground in the world of fine art, but also the satisfying simplicity of the material. It easily taps into mindfulness trends.
"There's this other movement of people trying to connect to a very sort of simple, tactile creativity and enjoy what we would have been a little bit more open to exploring when we're children," she says. "You can elevate your stuff to really high levels, and then you can just make a mud pie. And it's still so satisfying and joyful, you know what I mean?"
Tang thinks ceramics is both well-suited to social media — there's a "direct immediacy" that makes videos fun to watch — but also a happy break from screens all day.
"Digital technology is always about making things easy," he says. "And I think this medium provides like, not only a screen-less environment, a material that is as old as time, but also I think it's very difficult to master. So I think there is all those sorts of challenges that people are maybe missing in their lives."
'Everyone's always sharing'
Another misconception about working with clay is that it's strictly a solo pursuit. Community is actually key to the form — after all, at some point everyone has to meet at a kiln and forge their creations in the fire. Or a 1,100-degree oven, to be exact.
For a long time ceramics were separated from the art world, Tang says — galleries didn't support their works, so the community had to rally and organize shows and tours itself. But even just the material lends itself to a communal learning experience, he adds.
Even under crackling pressure, The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down shows potters regularly swapping advice when things, as they often do, go sideways.
Watch | Potters are always helping each other out
"There is a real sense of generosity that's baked into the community," Tang says. "Everyone's always sharing techniques, and sharing clay bodies, and sharing technical information, and even potluck recipes. … With ceramics, even though it's an immediate material, there is so much to learn in it, in making things."
For Waddell, supporting the community goes back to her roots. She remembers getting in touch with local guilds and arts associations who helped advance her craft, even before her formal education.
"It is really a priority of [those organizations] to get more people passionate about the material, help them along their way as they first start, and then, you know, establish a practice," Waddell says. "So I continue to volunteer lots of time and effort into these groups in these communities because I got a lot out of it. And I like to reinvest that energy."
Both judges are thrilled to join the show. New talent, new sharing, new kiln disasters and magical transformations to add to the lore.
Tang is excited for audiences to see all the homegrown artists here in Canada, and Waddell expects a newfound appreciation for the unpredictable beauty of the medium.
"And that awareness, that people understand what they're looking at a little more," she explains, "is part of why I think the show is going to be so fantastic."
Watch The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down free now on CBC Gem.
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