Introduction
As potters working in the tradition of making thrown functional ware from local materials, fired in wood kilns, both Iwami Shinsuke og Anne Mette Hjortshøj were invited to participate in The International Teabowl Festival in South Korea.
Inspired by Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada and their many years of exchanging knowledge and skills from working together, the two potters founded Bornholm Wild Clay Research Project. The project has developed over a decade.
Jesper L. Larsen and Ann-Charlotte Ohlsson are part of the group.
Many students from both Denmark, Japan and the rest of the world have participated and the project has been presented at conferences both in Britain, in America, as well as at the International Ceramic Triennale in Hobart, Australia.
This year the group is pleased to finally present a view into 10 years research, to an audience on the island of Bornholm.
Next year an exhibition with finished pieces, will be held in TOKO Galley in Mashiko, Japan.
Trial and error
More than a thousand test results have been made and fired in kilns built for the project.Geology maps of the island have been carefully studied and lots of hours have been spent retracing history. Fortunately, lots of invaluable knowledge and technical information from times when they first discovered these raw materials, have been saved for us to study and learn from.We have had vital help from lots of people around the island, who were here when the clay from the pits were being used and help from people who own the land from where they have kindly allowed us to collect samples for use in our research.
What you will see, is kind of a ”status quo” of an ongoing process which will probably never end, as there will be yet another thousand tests to make and ways to combine materials for use in our never ending mission, constantly refining our individual work and voice through clay.
Exhibition
All the series of test and small pieces shown are made from 100% raw materials sourced around the island.
For our ”finished work/bigger pieces” shown in this exhibition we may have added a tiny bit of something that we have bought from elsewhere. For example 2% of bentonite to make the slip stick to the clay body or on a few of the pieces, a thin coat of porcelain slip in between the clay body and the glaze.
Iwami Shinsuke and Anne Mette Hjortshøj are both invited to exhibit and participate at the International teabowl Festival in Mungyeong, South Korea.
The Invited artists all share the same interest in Korean Ceramic History and use this interest as inspiration in their work.
Iwami Shinsuke is invited to show his work in the exhibition ”Japansk kunsthåndværk”at Bornholm Ceramic Museum, “Hjorths Fabrik” Iwami Shinsuke is invited for a 6 weeks AiR at Agregård (in our studio)
Jesper and Anne Mette gave Iwami an introduction into the island ceramic history and geology.
BWCRP was established as a result of a shared interest in digging much deeper into the island raw materials.
A series of tests from various places on the island were made from clays and rocks and fired in Anne Mettes two chamber woodfired kiln.
Anne Mette Hjortshøj was invited for a three months AiR at Mashiko Museum of Ceramics.
Iwami and Anne Mette continued their research with local materials from Mashiko, based on the method they had used on Bornholm
Test results fired in Mashiko Museum Wood kiln and Iwamis two chamber wood kiln.
Iwami Shinsuke AiR at Agregård.
This time a young potter from Mashiko and a young potter from Norway were invited to be part of the project.
Based on a series of test results from a low temperature clay mixture a Japanese type of kiln was built to fire this clay to achive a certain style.
The kiln was built from clay alone.
Anne Mette is invited to present the project in England and as a key note speaker at the International Woodfire Conference in Seagrove, North Carolina.
Ann Charlotte Ohlsson and Anne Mette Hjortshøj built a small woodfired cross draught kiln, as a tool for firing tests.
Iwami spend two months on Bornholm. The continuous process of finding interesting clay and rock to use in various ways and blends continues. Results are fired in three different kilns, for different results. BWCRP shares the project with students from KADK Bornholm and Bornholms højskole.
Iwami runs a masterclass at the Acadamy in Nexø.
A series of workshops and a Wild Clay Tour is part of the Research Project this year, as a way of sharing knowledge and skill.
As the project changes from focusing on small series of test of clays from many locations into collecting and processing “bigger” amounts of raw material, Anne Mette and Jesper establish a “clay factory” in one of their barn buildings.
Another potter from Mashiko, Yasuhiro Kondo, is invited to take part in BWCRP 2019
Anne Mette is invited to take part of an Air at Ridgeline Pottery in Australia, with focus on working with wild clay and other local materials.
Invited to share BWRP at The Australian Ceramic Triennale, Hobart Tasmania.
As a result of Covid, BWCRP finds time to bring the shared research into their individual processes. Recipes and results from individual firings in Japan and on Bornholm are shared and discussed on line.
Plans for exhibitions in both Denmark and in Japan are being made.
Iwami spents two months on Bornholm to make the first series of bigger pieces based on previous research.
A third firing in the clay kiln is a success.
Iwami spents two month on Bornholm. A student from Japan Haraku Iwami (Iwamis daughter) and a student from England, Lucas Georg-Jones participates in this years busy program of firing bigger pieces for exhibitions in both Bornholm and Japan.
A very special change appeared, to exhibit in probably the worlds smallest Gallery on the tiny and extremely beautiful Christians Island.
BWCRP exhibits at TOKO Gallery Mashiko, Japan