Intoceramics03 by Deon de Lange

Mouldmaking Workshops

PRESENTED BY DEON DE LANGE

Learn the specialised skills of a Professional Mouldmaker Give a new dimension to your work by using moulds. Acclaimed ceramist Deon de Lange now offers you workshops in mouldmaking. de Lange owned and managed a very successful commercial ceramics factory, supplying the high end interior market both locally and abroad. His award winning designs were manufactured by means of slipcasting, jiggering and hydraulic

pressing, all using moulds to achieve the final product.

YOU WILL LEARN

Both modern and traditional techniques will be taught, using materials developed for industrial design.

Specialised skills

The workshops start off with modeling techniques, then take you to making the original mould, mastermoulds and working moulds. After completing these workshops, you will be able to produce high quality pieces for a discerning market.

Book your space now on the next available workshop.

Modelling Mouldmaking Mastermoulds Working moulds Useful techniques

Deon de Lange 0828553595 ddl@tiscali.co.za www.deondelange.com

Cover Artist: Ardmore Ceramics Made by Bernard Zondo Decorated by Virginia Xaba

Join us on Facebook www.facebook.com/intocera mics INTOCERAMICS is published quarterly INTOCERAMICS welcome contributions from its readers in the form of articles, news snippets and photographs. All photographs need to be clear and in focus with a resolution of 300 dpi in JPEG or TIFF format. Please submit via email to inbox@intoceramics.com The opinions expressed in INTOCERAMICS are those of the contributors and not necessarily that of the editor.

26 Editorial

Inbox

Showcase

Bookshelf

Profile: Astrid Dahl

Sustain Ceramics

CONTENTS 14 32

20 34

Cape Town Design Route

Ardmore at Summerhill

Green Issues

Palissy Ware

World Summit

Ikons 2009

26 40

FROM THE EDITOR Editor Deon de Lange Contributors Astrid Dahl Sarah Jerath Sue Heathcock

THEGREENISSUE

Designer Kyle Goulden

The trees are budding in my garden and the smell of jasmine fills the air. With our first rain, albeit very little, I realised it is a change in season. With the world going green around us, I thought it a good time to look at the way our craft fits into the broader picture. A colleague of mine has recently been diagnosed with heavy metal poisoning. We often work with highly toxic materials, and although death is the only thing that will stop some people, we need to be more aware of the dangers in handling these materials, and also the way we dispose of it. I also decided to do a feature on Astrid Dahl, whose monumental botanical ceramics brought her international recognition. Another group that needs no introduction internationally is Ardmore, whose recent exhibition at Summerhill was a radical departure from their usual wild animals, but still in keeping with their distinctive style.

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They are both doing us very proud in South Africa. I was also surprised with a phone call from the Department of Trade and Industry advising me that I was nominated to be part of the Ikons exhibition at Decorex 2009. It is an honour to exhibit next to other great names in the South African ceramic world. I am also excited to welcome Ceramics Southern Africa on board, it is important to have an umbrella body in any discipline, encouraging new people to work with clay and exposing the general public to ceramics. You will read a lot more about them in the future.

Deon www.facebook.com/intoceramics 6

Clay - Tools - Tiles Garden Pots - Dinnerware 1 Annet Road, Cottesloe Johannesburg 011 482 2215/7 www.liebermannpottery.net liebpott@iafrica.com

INBOX John Bauer visited my high-school art class in Cape Town's Southern Suburbs one day in August, to inspire and entertain learners from Grades 10 to 12. A larger-than-life figure, John is able to speak directly to the heart of the artist in each one of them.

The artist explains that porcelain has been collected by buyers in Europe for hundreds of years. His contemporary methods and subject matter find an avid audience. He explains how he combines his images, found and doodled, in humorous and quirky ways. The bowls are a vehicle for dreamlike drawings, narratives and mottoes. Collaging During the course of a 45-minute off-the-cuff lecture, we them with textures and imagery from other disciplines, begin to realise that the persona and mystique John has such as carving and textiles, John works in series: 'he who created are partly in order to market his brand as a rising makes the most work, wins' he tells us. artist. His latest passion is for doilies. John avers tremendous re'So who isn't going to be an artist when you leave school?' spect for the craft of lace design, and insists that he can was just one of the quips and unexpected questions the in- buy up old doilies at auction for a few Rand. From these he imitable Mr Bauer threw at the students. More than half the copies designs and intricate, finely wrought details, adding class defiantly raised hands. 'What do you have to say to layers of meaning to his bowls and sculptures while imthat Mr Artist?' they were thinking. 'Weeelll what are you mortalising the work of unknown lace-makers. planning to do instead?' He parried, - and proceeded to make a case for the Life of Art to a roomful of wannabe John is not just another adult, telling the youngsters to sit lawyers and businessmen, bent on independence, fame and down, shut up, listen, work hard and swot. His philosophy fortune. He makes it an attractive option, after all: being is that "you must enjoy what you are doing. The minute it his own boss, pondering whatever is important to him on stops being exactly what you want to do, is the moment to any given day, enjoying the freedom to travel, mixing with stop doing it." The teacher chimes in to suggest that perinternationally renowned artists... haps it's critical to acquire techniques, skill and theoretical underpinning. Not so, he insists: there's no need to bother And it's philanthropic, besides. making exquisite objects to with Art School; simply get a studio and get stuck in. lift the spirits of all those downtrodden, hard-working cor- "There is no good and bad in contemporary art. It is not porate clients is really a most humanitarian and satisfying necessarily skill that leads to success, but training the suboccupation. 'But what about the money?' presses one of the jective eye to know when your own work is good, or even quick-thinking Grade 12s. John waves away the query. He great!" Your most important skill is an ability to think like explains that he can produce enough work to pay his bills an artist, and this is inevitable "Something happens to your in a few mornings a month. In fact, he suggests, cerami- brain when you make art all the time". cists often struggle to figure out how to fill up their days, once they've breakfasted with friends, filled a kiln, met an All this sounds like welcome instruction to a roomful of art dealer, been feted by a patron and strolled along a beach adolescents: Rebel! Insist on the integrity of your own viabsorbing inspiration. The young man's eyes light up and sion and stare down all those in authority who would dare everyone in the class begins to see the plot. to challenge them. Well done, John! With luck, some of these young people will indeed find the courage to follow The youngsters are invited to handle some of John's prize- their bliss â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and we shall all be so much the richer. winning porcelain bowls. John passes around a porcelain figurine of The Incredible Hulk. It is instantly recognised Janet Ranson by these hip teenagers. John has cast The Hulk from a plastic toy and overlaid the surface it with imagery from an antique carved walrus tooth â&#x20AC;&#x201C; plus a condom. The melange of relief images combines to produce a porcelain sculpture Send us mail to inbox@intoceramics.com with a most satisfying heft.

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Gradient PVC Backdrops for photographing ceramic objects 50cm x 100cm R250 75cm x 150cm R500 0828553595 ddl@tiscali.co.za

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SHOWCASE

Catherine Brennan - Botany exhibition at the Underberg Stidio, opening 30 October 2009 033 701 2440

Lynette Morris-Hale 031Â 2660543

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Remembering Artists Past Ardmore Caversham Studio 19 September - 18 October 2009 033 263 2713

Insalata bowl by Chuma Maweni Light from Africa 021 794 0291 10

Bisqueware - Paint - Tools

Modelling Heads and Faces in Clay

The Ceramic Surface Matthias Ostermann

Berit Hildre

ISBN: 978-1-4081-1339-4 Paperback

ISBN: 978-1-4081-0267-1 Paperback Examining the various aspects that make up the face, including proportions of the head, bone structure, muscles and expressions, Modelling Heads and Faces in Clay shows how lifelike heads of men, women and children can be created using clay. Illustrated with over 200 photographs, detailing step-by-step sequences, this accessible book looks at each defining facial feature as well as providing in-depth information on a range of expressions. Essential basics, such as how to get started, choosing your clay and modelling tools, drying your work and types of natural finishes are also covered, creating a fabulous guide ideal for anyone interested in modelling in this versatile medium. Berit Hildre is a French artist who runs courses and workshops in modelling at the Aubenas Evening Academy in the Départment de L’Ardèche.

Ceramics, amongst the oldest products of human manufacture, have been produced for at least the last 10,000 years. A remarkable diversity of techniques can be used to treat the ceramic surface and the wide variety of materials available for surface decoration have made huge experimentation and innovation in this area possible. An exploration of the ceramic surface, this book examines the works of 200 ceramicists from around the world, considering a huge spectrum of contemporary techniques and approaches. Focusing on the ceramic surface in the context of the vessel and platter, including the nonfunctional, the metaphoric, the narrative, and even the sculptural, The Ceramic Surface celebrates the ingenuity and diversity of talent found in contemporary ceramics. Divided into ten chapters covering specific areas of methodology, and encompassing a wide variety of techniques for making, decorating and firing, each artist’s image is accompanied by technical information as well as a statement of inspiration and motivation, offering insight into the concept of each piece. Including forewords by Catherine Hess and David Whiting, this beautiful book will provide inspiration to ceramicists, educators and historians alike. Matthias Ostermann is a ceramicist specialising in low-fired tin-glaze techniques, although he is currently exploring oriental high-fire glazes. He has exhibited internationally and his work can be found in such permanent collections as the Victoria and Albert Museum. He has written several other books including The Ceramic Narrative.

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BOOKSHELF

Confrontational Ceramics

A Guide to Collecting Studio Pottery

Judith S. Schwartz

Alistair Hawtin

Confrontational Ceramics is a ground-breaking new art book which looks at the use of ceramic art as a confrontational tool, astutely commenting on social issues. A sumptuous collection of work from 228 contemporary artists from 30 different countries, it explores how art is used to confront society with the harshest of realities.

A Guide to Collecting Studio Pottery is the definitive guide on how, what and where to buy contemporary studio pottery; essential information for both beginners and the more established collector.

ISBN: 978 07136 76556 Hardback

Divided into relevant chapters, including War and Politics, The Environment and Popular Science, this cutting edge book is filled with work by both established makers such as Grayson Perry, Robert Arneson, Richard Notkin and Howard Kottler, as well as introducing brand new artists working with ceramics. This eclectic mix essentially creates a fascinating overview of how ceramics have been used to effectively comment on the disparity of the human condition. With poignant statements from each artist accompanying the glossy photographs, this alluring and perceptive book successfully discusses dramatic and hard hitting topics. Judith S. Schwartz has been the Director of the Sculpture/Craft course at New York University since 1988, and is President on the board of trustees at the Museum of Ceramic Art in New York. From 1984-88 she was a professor of studio courses in Ceramic Sculpture, and has taught in Art establishments since 1964. She lectures around the world at ceramic symposiums and exhibitions.

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ISBN: 978-07136-7186 â&#x20AC;˘ ÂŁ16.99 Paperback

Exploring the best venues, from galleries and auctions to charity shops and car boot sales, A Guide to Collecting Studio Pottery explains what to look for in the various types of studio pottery. Bursting with photographs of some of the most beautiful examples of this artwork, along with insightful interviews from noted collectors and makers, this book opens up the fascinating world of collecting ceramics to those interested in beginning or progressing their own collections. Examining the very basics of ceramics collecting, such as recognising pottery by style, A Guide to Collecting Studio Pottery includes detailed profiles on all of the important makers alongside the pros and cons of buying ceramics from a range of different venues. This book is a must for those interested in collecting studio pottery, providing all the information that is needed to build up a successful and meaningful collection. Alistair Hawtin has been an enthusiastic collector of ceramics for over 15 years, and buys pots anywhere he can - from jumble sales to fine art galleries to the internet. His enthusiasm for ceramics has led him to learn to become a potter himself.

Ast rid Dahl’s

Bot anical Ceramics Text and Photographs:Astrid Dahl

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PROFILE

Botanical Ceramics The work of Astrid Dahl

Astrid Dahl spent her childhood in the countryside town of Ladysmith, Kwazulu Natal. In, 1989 she went to the Wykeham Collegiate in Pietermaritzburg. She has been fortunate to have encountered interesting and inspiring art teachers in her life. Ms Judy Taylor was her teacher in school and was a huge influence in Dahl choosing to study Fine Art at the Durban Technicon in 1995. Once again, she studied under incredible teachers to name a few: Hennie Stroebel, Virginia McKenny, Andries Botha and Barry Truter. Because of Hennie Stroebel, her ceramics lecturer, Dahl decided to major in ceramics which earned her a degree in 1999. His love of ceramics was so clear in his teaching method and he set no boundaries. Inspired by Stroebel’s huge colour-

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fully painted vessels, it was only a matter of time before Dahl started coiling large biomorphic forms as well as classical vase shapes. It was a significant meeting with Neville Trickett, when she had moved to the Midlands, that changed the direction in which Dahl’s work was moving. Producing her with a book on Karl Blossfeldt's black and white photography on botanical studies, Trickett challenged her to push ceramics beyond the simple vase shapes she had been making at the time. Clay is truly an incredible medium and lends itself so well to the diverse forms, shapes and patterns that we find plentiful in the plant world. Dahl received the Elle Decoration International Design Awards in the category of 'tableware'

PROFILE

in 2004 and 2005. The magazines that have featured her work have contributed hugely to promoting it, and letting the world know Astrid Dahl’s work exists! She was particularly thrilled with three international magazines that featuring her work: the UK Elle Decoration, October 2005 which featured South African artists' work in The Conran shop, Li Edelkoort's curiosities, issue 15, Bloom, a horticultural view in which Molly Lewis captures the essense of her work as '...curious botanicals which reflect but do not mimic the divine perfection of the natural world.' Lastly, the dutch magazine De Tuin, Exclusief, Number 23, 2006. Dahl is fully booked with orders for the year ahead and busy working on a commission for The Royal Hashemite Court in Jordan. The pieces are based on the black iris which is their national flower and she has actually used a black stained clay. This is pretty exciting for her as she has been working in white clay for the past eight years.

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Opening page:

Euphorbia helioscopia This page Left: Leaves opening This page Right: Primula veris Opposite page Left: Detail of vessel from above Opposite page Right Succulent vessel

PROFILE

Dahl was having problems with the quality of the earthenware clay she was using. Lately she have started using porcelain mixed with paper fibre which is supplied by Lindsay Scott of Hillfold Pottery in the Midlands. The black clay is basically the same porcelain body with lots and lots of expensive black stain! It has been difficult to work with as she likes her pieces to be very smooth and, as Lindsay says, possibly due to the molochite that is added, it seems grittier.

This page Left: Euphorbia helioscopia This page Right: Inspired by ocean flora

Dahl also participated in the Johannesburg Art Fair under the Southern Guild banner (featured in Intoceramics 02) in which she created one-off pieces which she thoroughly enjoyed. What is next? ‘With my husband and 15 month old son and all this work? Whew! I am happy to have got where I am and only hope that people keep loving what I love to do!’ Dahl says. Astrid Dahl astriddahl@cybertek.co.za Hillfold Pottery 033-234 4597

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SUSTAIN

INSPIRATIONAL

CERAMICS

Sustain Ceramics By Sarah Jerath

British ceramist Sarah Jerath incorporate natural and found materials into the clay body she uses. Recycled glass from St Helens, brick, sandstone or fossilised shale are mixed into the clay. The forms are organic and reflects natural curves and silhouettes. ‘For me clay is a medium in which I express myself. My natural landscape has played a great part in who I am, making my work feel like unfolding new treasures. The earth releases to me, I am always surprised.’ The added materials often has a personal meaning to her. examples include using clay and stone dug from the road where she lives, a sandstone quarry dust track where she grew up, everything is collected from a special place. She often grinds and polishes the surfaces to unveil the contrasting additions. ‘I am also looking at working with other materials found in nature and creating my forms on a larger scale’ says Jerath. ‘I want to explore other ways of using found natural materials. As my work develops I am realising more industrial applications, especially since I have been working alongside a brick factory that collects local shale, which is a fossilized clay. I would like to develop my material further and find architectural purposes for it such as interior walls or organic sculptural structures made of smaller units. it would be like bringing the outside in.’ Nature permits Jareth to express her inner voice. ‘The simple most beautiful things are just in our hands or under our bare feet.’ Sarah Jerath did a full time degree in ceramics at UCLAN and graduated in 2007 with a 1st class honours. She specialised in creating an innovative ceramic material using sustainable materials. INTOCERAMICSSPRING2009

INSPIRATIONAL

Some thoughts about my pinch pots: My natural landscape has had a profound effect on who I am. I need a physical, intimate involvement with the earth, it somehow replenishes my soul. Natural instincts and feelings are a great part of how and why I will make something. I have a deeply important desire to interact with the natural elements, to interplay with the things I find, to create something never spoken or yet seen. The creative force of nature provides me with this unique energy, it permits me to express my inner voice and I am at its whim. I gather fossilized shale and sandstone that is common to the area, sometimes I find it along streams or in seams along the bank. I crush it in a stone bowl and mix these finds with various clay bodies and sometimes recycled materials. The simple pinched and hand made forms warp and crack because of the tensions and forces between the elements during firing, evoking a fragile beauty. I often grind and polish the surfaces to unveil. This can be the most amazing part of the whole process. Some of my bowls feel like artifacts, as if they have been hidden in the earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s belly waiting to behold. Sarah Jerath sfjerath@hotmail.com

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The Design Indaba Expo this year saw the launch of the first Cape Town Design Route, in collaboration with Cape Town Tourism and the Cape Town Partnership. Now tourists and design fanatics can enjoy the high-quality creativity on offer at the Design Indaba Expo, all-year round. The route features 46 Western Cape-based Design Indaba exhibitors, which were pre-approved by the Design Indaba Expo’s curators – a panel of industry experts. Stretching from the Cape Town City Bowl through the Southern Peninsula and into the Winelands, including everything in between, the map is a guide to the best of the best local design studios and shops. “The Cape Town Design Route bolsters the important creative industries sector, both in terms of the domestic market and for local and foreign visitors. It makes great strides in establishing Cape Town as a creative powerhouse,” confirmed Bulelwa Makalima-Ngewana, deputy CEO of the Cape Town Partnership. With each participant signposted and with directory listings on the map, both Cape Town locals and tourists can enjoy this guided tour of local design savvy. The map of the route is available through the 12 Cape Town Tourism visitor centres and in the latest edition of Design Indaba magazine. During the Design Indaba Expo from 27 February to 1 March, the route was also included as part of Cape Town’s hop-on-hop-off bus route and many Design Indaba Expo visitors first enjoyed the show at the Cape Town Convention Centre, before embarking on a tour of the design-filled province. INTOCERAMICSSPRING2009

ARDMORE CERAMICS AT SUMMERHILL STUD

FUNCTIONAL COLLECTABLE

This page Left: Horse Urn Made by Sabelo Khoza Decorated by Siyabonga Mabaso This page Right: Horse Urn Made by Sabelo Khoza and Petros Gumbi Decorated by Siyabonga Mabaso Opposite page Left: Horse Urn Made by Sondelani Ntshalintshali and Sfiso Mvelase Decorated by Wiseman Ndlovu Opening pages and Opposite page Right: Horse/Dog Urn Made by Sfiso Mvelase Decorated by Roux Gwala

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COLLECTABLE

On Sunday 5 July 2009, Summerhill Stud and Ardmore Ceramics joined forces to celebrate and show off their excellence and dedication. The Ardmore artists, inspired by the care givers at Summerhill, have created, a new collection of ceramics that was unveiled at the Summerhill Stallion Day. The Collection includes Staffordshire like, everyday farm scenes of stallions being bandaged, foals being born and horse and hound cavorting together. Familiar Ardmore urn and tureen forms were adorned with horses leaping from within and Ready to Run yearlings galloping to victory. Bowls and plates were illustrated with intricate detailed painting by up and coming artist Siyabonga Mabaso and Alex Shabalala. A most spectacular Dog / Leopard Urn(featured on the cover) sculpted by Bernard Zondo and exquisitely painted by Virginia Xaba in exotic colours, is a more typically Ardmore piece. A pack of African hunting hounds are out for a leopard kill. You can view this exciting new departure, where the ceramicists have traded in their racing zebra stripes for the thoroughbred, as well as more traditional Ardmore pieces, by visiting their website www.ardmoreceramics.co.za

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This page: Horse Tureen Made by Sondelani Ntshalintshali Decorated by Misiwe Radebe

Opposite page Left: Detail Horse Urn Made by Sabelo Khoza Decorated by Siyabonga Mabaso Opposite page Right: Detail Horse/Dog Urn Made by Sfiso Mvelase Decorated by Roux Gwala

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COLLECTABLE

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Green Issues Text and Photos Deon de Lange

A topic that is red hot in the media at the moment is the environment. We hear about global warming, energy conservation, depleting resources and recycling on a daily basis. As a child I learnt at school about gasses emitted by aerosol cans are causing a hole in the ozone layer, which can result in illnesses like skin cancer. At home that afternoon I neurotically begged my mother not to use deodorants as I feared for my life. Laughing it off because she came from a generation t h a t w a s c o nsumed by the conveniences of the post –war period, she merrily sprayed away. Besides, it would take such a long time to happen, there was no urgency in stopping then. Many years later we are facing the dilemma and all of a sudden we have switched to panic mode. Green actually became a trend colour, in interiors, products, packaging and fashion. It became a visual way of reminding us to live more green. Even a large petroleum company increased its turnover, not because their product was more environmentally friendly, but because of making the public aware of its corporate colours. We now go into a supermarket buying organic products at a prime price just to ease our conscience.

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Organic – the word also comes to mind when we talk about pottery – organic, wholesome, from the earth – but is it really? We present our vessels to prospective buyers with a smile on our faces – ‘I made this by hand, from the earth’ – should it then necessarily be good? We work with raw materials that is actually quite hazardous. Often the fumes emitted during firing drives us from our studios coughing and gasping for fresh air. How many of us actually wear respirators when working with glazes often containing deadly materials such as lead bisilicate or barium carbonate? In ancient times potters always outlived a few wives, who always had to decorate the pots, and the toxins from the lead used often killed them. What could we do to make our craft more green? This could end up in a never ending debate, but a few solutions come to mind. Pottery, once fired, lasts for a very long time. Archaeologists can tell the level of sophistication of a civilization by looking at the pottery they used, purely because it outlasts any other material. Once you made your piece, be very critical about it. If it is not your best and you are not proud of it, reclaim it before you fire it. After all, the joy is in the making. Nobody had any use for a clumsy, badly made pot that lies somewhere in a landfill. Be more aware of the glazes we use. So often retail suppliers have glazes on their shelves t h a t o r i g inates from the sixties. As long as it still sells, they will keep on stocking it. A lot of these glazes will

ENVIRONMENTAL leach toxins into food, and over the years a new generation of potters are not aware of these hazards. Be especially aware of low firing glazes that runs easily during firing, these are almost certain to contain lead and should not be used on domestic wares. Metallic glazes are often not food safe either. Water is used in large quantities by potters, Disposing of waste water is often inconsiderate and it just get dumped down the drain. Find a suitable material that will aid in settling the solids. The clear water can

Electric firing is most convenient for potters and definitely cleaner burning than fossil fuels, but we need to relook our medium. A worldwide trend is to work in the mid-fire range rather than traditional high fired stoneware. A lot of industries have developed clay bodies that vitrify at lower temperatures, but studio potters are often unaware of these developments. There are some spectacular glazes available for lower temperatures, and a lot of colours, that would normally fire away at the higher temperatures, can now assure us of a brighter palette of glazes. We are still very ignorant about this in South Africa, but hopefully we will eventually see the benefit of it. We will conserve a lot of energy by firing at a lower temperature, and we could reinvent our work. If you are doing reduction firing or live in rural areas where you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have access to suitable electricity, consider using biofeuls to fire your kilns. It is a byproduct made from recycled cooking oil and is much cleaner burning and mere sustainable than fossil fuels. It would also not harm to include a green glaze in our palette, if we can not make our craft more environmentally friendly, we can at least remind ourselves to do our bit to reduce our carbon footprint.

then b e d ecanted a n d used for irrigation while the solid residue can be dried on plaster of paris or unused bisque containers and disposed of in a suitable manner. Raw materials always come in plastic bags or containers, which should be reused or recycled. Cracked and broken pots once glaze fired can be donated to charity organisations that train handicapped or unemployed people to do mosaics. Cracked bisque ware can be used to aid drainage in container planting.

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Palissy

Ware By Deon de Lange

HISTORICAL

Palissy Ware By Deon de Lange

Palissy ware is a nineteenth-century term for ceramics produced in the style of the famous French potter Bernard Palissy, who referred to his own work as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;rustique.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Palissy's distinctive style of polychrome lead-glazed earthenware in a sombre earth-toned palette, using naturalistic motifs in high relief, was much imitated by other potters both in his own lifetime and especially in the nineteenth century. The date and place of Palissy's birth are not know for certain but are believed to be about 1510, either at Saintes or Agen. In his memoirs, Palissy tells us that he was apprenticed to a glass-painter, possibly his father, and that he also studied land-surveying. At the end of his apprenticeship he became a traveling workman, acquiring fresh knowledge in many parts of France. Palissy saw amongst the treasures of a nobleman a specimen of Chinese porcelain, then one of the wonders of the European world, and knowing nothing of its nature, substance or manufacture, he set himself to work to discover the secrets for himself. At a neighboring village he mastered the rudiments of peasant pottery. He had no knowledge of the medium other than European tin-enamelled pottery acquired during his travels. For nearly sixteen years Palissy labored on in these wild endeavors, through a succession of utter failures, working with the utmost diligence and constancy but, for the most part, without a gleam of hope. The story verged on the tragic. At times he and his family were reduced to the bitterest poverty, he burned his furniture and even the floor boards of his house to feed the fires of his furnaces. Palissy failed to discover the secret of Chinese porcelain, but he did succeed in making the special type of pottery that will always be associated with his name.

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HISTORICAL

Palissy's works had already attracted attention locally when, in 1548, the constable de Montmorency was sent into the Saintonge to suppress the revolution there. Montmorency protected the potter and found him employment in decorating with his glazed terracottas the Chateau dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Ecouen. The patronage of such an influential noble soon brought Palissy into fame at the French court, and although he was an avowed Protestant, he was protected by these nobles from the ordinances of the parliament of Bordeaux when, in 1562, the property of all the Protestants in this district was seized. Palissy's workshops and kilns were destroyed, but he himself was saved, and, by the interposition of the all-powerful constable, he was appointed inventor of rustic pottery to the king and the queen-mother. Around 1563, under royal protection, he was allowed to establish a fresh pottery works in Paris in the vicinity of the royal palace of the Louvre. The site of his kilns indeed became afterwards a portion of the gardens of the Tuileries. For about twentyfive years from this date Palissy lived and worked in Paris. He appears to have been a personal favorite of Catherine de Medici, and of her sons, in spite of his profession of the reformed religion.

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Working for the court, his productions passed through many phases. Besides continuing his rustic figurines he made a large number of dishes and plaques ornamented with scriptural or mythological subjects in relief, as well as reproductions of pewter dishes by metal workers of the period. During this period too he gave several series of public lectures on natural history, the entrance fee being one crown, a large fee for those days, in which he poured forth all the ideas of his fecund mind. His ideas of springs and underground waters were far in advance of the general knowledge of his time, and he was one of the first Europeans to enunciate the correct theory of the origin of fossils. The close of Palissy's life was quite in keeping with his active and stormy youth. He was protected against ecclesiastical persecution by the court and some of the great nobles, but the fanatical outburst of 1588 led to his being thrown into the Bastille, and although King Henry III offered him his freedom if he would recant, Palissy refused to save his life on any such terms. Condemned to death when nearly eighty years of age, he died in a Bastille dungeon in 1589.

World Summit on Arts and Culture The fourth World Summit on Arts and Culture, a project of the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA), will take place in Johannesburg from 22-25 September, hosted by the National Arts Council of South Africa. Two of the primary divides in the world today are poverty and culture. Culture has probably overtaken poverty as one of the greatest threats to global security. The recent debate about banning the burkha in France and the rise of nationalism in Europe generally, are responses to perceived threats from immigrant communities with a culture different to that of the status quo, and irrespective of even the middle class positions of many within the immigrant community. Similarly, while they share the misery of poverty, refugees from Somalia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique and the underclasses of South Africa are divided by culture, accounting for the ongoing xenophobic violence. In a post-9/11 world, and with the Cold War and its ideological divides now assigned to the scrapheap of history, culture is the primary global faultline. The World Summit on Arts and Culture – held every three years in a different country – will be held in a so-called developing country, and in Africa, for the first time. The event provides a unique opportunity for policy makers, funding agencies, development organisations, artists’ networks, think tanks and multilateral cultural bodies to reflect on the state of the world and its implications for the arts over the ensuing few years. Such a global gathering allows for key debates to be initiated, for visionary ideas to be

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launched and for networks to be consolidated so that the Summit is not be an end in itself, but a catalyst that will leave a lasting legacy for the global arts fraternity, and in this instance, for the African arts sector in particular. South Africa has long been regarded as a microcosm of the world: wealthy elite on the one hand and a huge underclass burdened by poverty on the other, with the inherent tensions within and between these further layered by racial and cultural conflicts. It is an appropriate time and place for a global gathering on the theme of the Summit: Meeting of Cultures: Creating Meaning through the Arts, a theme that resonates across a world that is increasingly divided by values, beliefs, religion, traditions and history – in short, by culture. What do these cultural divides mean for the arts? Music, theatre, dance, literature, film and the visual arts are seen by some policy makers and politicians as possible bridges between cultures, as safe, non-threatening points of entry into understanding “other” and as facilitators of “intercultural dialogue”. Yet, the arts can also play a divisive role, reinforcing cultural faultlines as shown by the literature of Salman Rushdie or movies that spark protests by Christian groups or the drawings of a Danish cartoonist or exhibitions that depict religious icons as gay. What effect will the political imperative and the need for social cohesion across cultural divides have on the arts if they are burdened with facilitating intercultural dialogue? To help to make the world a safer place, are public authorities demanding “safe” art?

Ceramics Southern Africa Gauteng Regiomal Exhibition 12 - 25 October 2009 Edoardo Villa Museum, University of Pretoria, Lynwood rd, Brooklyn Many artists hate being – or feeling - conscripted for any cause, even ones they believe in. If they are to use their creative skills for “the public good”, then they want to choose to do this, or not. On the other hand, politicians, government officials, development agencies and public funding bodies often give the impression that when artists or arts projects are supported with public funds, it is legitimate to expect them to align their creative work with the “national interests”, as defined by those who inhabit political power at the time. In an increasingly security-conscious world in which culture is one of the roots of global tensions, is it acceptable for artists to be “conscripted” in the cause of building intercultural communities at local, national and international levels?

other African countries? This would be considered in the interests of the greater public good. But what if an artist decides to make an art work that calls for the country’s borders to be closed to foreigners in order for government first to address the needs of impoverished South Africans? Should the artist be prevented from receiving public funds to create this art because it is not consistent with “the national interests”? For further information about the World Summit, see www.artsummit.org

What would this mean for South Africa? What if the NAC makes available funds for artists to create art that rejects xenophobia and that affirms good relations with refugees from

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