Ceramic in Burgundy
Another episode of the Australian adventure: a joint exhibition with colleagues from there in Manningham Gallery: Jane ANNOIS, Judy and Ric PIERCE, Sandy LOCKWOOD, Veronique PENGILLEY, Vicki GRIMA, WendyJAGGER, Robert BARRON.
Sylvie and Jean-Marc were our ambassadors and they could taste the dishes prepared for the opening by chef Gabriel Gaté. Lucky mates…
This year, during Chinese New Year, the association “la Chine à Cluny” organized films, lectures, workshops and exhibitions for 10 successive days. This time, the event was a special touch as it was part of “Cluny 2010″, 1100th anniversary of the Abbey.
If the bridge between China and Cluny in the Middle Ages is not so obvious, the theme of the exhibition was the relationship between East and West, between China and Christianity. As evidenced by the stele erected in 781 in Chang’an (now Xi’an) to commemorate the arrival of the Nestorian Christians from Persia.
In response to this event, a dark stone stele was engraved by Gong Tao, Kang Xinying and Francois Gauthier with the assistance and valuable support of the company Jacques Louis at Cluny.
In reference to the twelve gates that were symbolically opened in September 2009 in Cluny, I wanted to establish twelve bounds on a hypothetical Silk Road. Twelve steps on this path strewn with pitfalls and pleasures, doubts and choice, hopelessness and determination. A journey of a couple in search of the birthplace of light and, having enriched knowledge throughout this trip, thinking finally reach the source, but realizes that the sun always rises farther in the east.
Each boundary stone is a step on the road and the construction of the one who follow it.
With the bound 1 and 12, I wanted to represent the gates of the cities of departure and arrival. The light succeeds the dark like the day succeeds the night and all variations of this world.
The bound 7 is a stage of rest and reflection. It could be near a caravanserai of Samarkand, where, during a slightly extended break, a melancholy comes over our travelers who hesitate to continue the way. I wanted it to be covered with graffiti expressing the mood of the moment of the one who traces. So I hand over it to the grazing pen of visitors who droped in the studio.
The pictures of steles are made by Bertrand LAUPRETE et Pierre PLATTIER
“La Tour du Bost”! Amazing, that tower planted in the middle of a farmyard! It’s in this strange place that Jean-Pierre Bouley proposed exhibit, Anne Mathonnière and myself.
The farm is operated by the family Dubreuil and here is the famous “ GAEG des Engoulevents ” which offers a wide variety of plants including an incredible collection of hostas.
The National Days of Ceramics were an opportunity to pay tribute to Frederic Chaudat, a potter disappeared before he could fire in the kiln he had so carefully built. We were ten to fill the 2 m3 of this “ chainette ” kiln (Marc Brasseur, Anne-Marie Kelecom, Jean-Simon Foatelli, Josephte Grange-Sarles, Malik Dellidj, Pascal Shimpf, Marie Serreau, Vanessa Rousseau, Patrick Buté and I).
Hosted by Monique, Frederic’s wife, we fired for two days to reach 1280 ° C. This kiln works perfectly. We planned three days of firering because we did’nt want to rush this old new body, but he wanted to go faster than us.
Australia: it goes on! December 2008, we are in Sardieux to fill the boxes of our pieces. It is on schedule, the exhibition begins February 27. But it was not counting on the weather and the 1.5 cm of snow had blocked all activity on the port of Marseille. Result, boxes started late and if Yves and Bridget did’nt intervene, they would not arrive on time. They were intercepted in Singapore and ended the trip by plane. The opening could take place on the scheduled day, but unfortunately, only Sylvie and Jean-Marc were able to attend.
Narek galleries - Tanja NSW 2550 - Australia
Thanks to a grant awarded by Ateliers d’Art de France after a call for nominations, I was able to stay at the Institute of Ceramic Togei no Mori in Shigaraki, about 1 hour from Kyoto.
This facility consists of a location, large well-equipped studios, an exhibition hall, a museum, a sculpture park garden and an administrative building. It welcomes artists from all around the world but also premises who can benefit the logistics in place.
Shigaraki is a town where many potters are working. Besides the “tanuki” whose wealth before the ceramics stores began to gnaw, upon leaving the bus, the sacred idea that we had of Japanese pottery, local production is characterized by objects made from a clay whose wood firering shows feldspar grains of different sizes, like a frozen sweat. 
My original plan was to fire in one of these large lying kiln type “anagama “, but the dates of my stay did not coincide with those for firering. So I pulled on the gas, which was a height in this village of wood cookers, but that seemed exotic because of my usual method of firering in France.
I shared workspaces with 14 other residents as young and talented: Aeden from Australia, Sasan from Indonesia, Tho and Veng from Laos, Eddy from Guadeloupe, Tomoko, Kyoko and Yuji from Japan, Antra from India, Vannoeun from Cambodia, Ha, Hyun and Kim from Korea and Max from England.
The first difficulty I had to face was to choose a clay among the multitude of samples that were presented to me. Firering gas winning, I opted for a white clay and a black clay. When they are raw, they have nearly the same coulour, and the result was amazing when I unloaded. With only a month, which is very short for ceramic, I plunged into the erection of columns hatched, that way I began to explore during the summer.
The atmosphere of the workshop was very studious, the language barriers do not encourage idle chatter. Everyone had to carry his project, supported by exciting emulation. Special thanks to school staff always ready to provide both logistical and administrative support.
The australian trip is going on just near our door : the Maison de la Céramique of Saint Uze in the Drôme department, invites the seven ceramists met before, to exhibit. Journey’s impressions, influences on the work, this exhibition gives a beautiful panorama of each’s feeling in a common adventure. Jane Annois also is here, she came with an australian group wich took part in Tupiniers market in Lyon.
The Varzy’s Auguste Grasset museum is a real office of curiosity : egyptian coffin, strange music instruments, classical painting, Nevers’ earthenware, etc… all this mixture is offered to the visitor in a very clear and very attractive show.
Each summer, a special exhibition is organised by Jean-Michel Roudier, assistant curator for the Nièvre’s museums. I was honnoured to exhibit here this 2008 year. Didier Petit, cello player wellknown of jazz lovers, improvised during the opening.
Trip in Australia with six members of DARGILES (ceramists association from Rhône-Alpes region) : Brigitte Long, Maryse Tavernier, Sylvie Rusé-Maillard, Jean-Marc Plantier, Yves Gaget et Jean-Luc Taschini.
This trip is the extension of links which were set up by Jean-Marc et Jane Annois, australian ceramist and “ French pottery and wine tours ” organiser.
We met australian colleagues and exchange around five events :
This adventure might continue, Australians will be invited to exhibit in France and Frenches in Australia.
