Popalini and Jezando exhibition
Fascinated by Japanese pottery, Popalini & Jezando went to Japan in early 2018 to study with Setsurou Shibata in Tajimi and Peter Seabridge in Tokoname, with whom they first fired a wood kiln. During their time there, they gained new insights into throwing and firing and expanded their aesthetic appreciation.
Last October they had the chance to go back to Japan supported by Arts Council England to further their knowledge of wood-firing and teaware. Over a space of two months Pop Wilkinson and Jez Anderson, both from Hartland, North Devon, made and wood-fired over 200 pots across two different kilns in the ancient pottery towns of Tamba-Sasayama and Tokoname. This exhibition showcases the journey and pieces created during this trip.
Exhibition Overview & Quotes
“The flame carries ash and heat though the kiln and over the carefully positioned pots leaving unpredictable and unique marks. Half this body of work was fired up to 1300 degrees Celsius for 6 days in an anagama kiln in Sasayama and half up to 1250 for 2 days in a traditional Tokoname style kiln in Tokoname. Some of the pots were glazed in different types of Shino, others had no glaze at all – just the natural ash that settled…” – Jez Anderson
Popalini & Jezando created this collection of wood-fired pots in Japan, supported by Arts Council England. Over a space of two months, Pop Wilkinson and Jez Anderson made and fired over 200 pots across two different kilns in the ancient pottery towns of Tamba-Sasayama and Tokoname.
The seed for their journey starts here at The Burton Art Gallery over a decade ago when Pop attended the Lottery funded ‘Torridge Youth Ceramics Project’ collaboratively arranged by The Burton and Appledore Arts Festival and taught by Philip Leach, resulting in the first pots she ever made being woodfired in the bottle kiln that stands outside the gallery in Victoria Park.
“Inspired by the collection at The Burton I hand-built an astronomically heavy sgraffitoed harvest jug and a bread-oven that blew up… I remember the excitement of handing over the raw pots to be fired and getting them back hard and shiny with serendipitous licks from the fire.” – Pop Wilkinson
Gallery images
All images © Popalini & Jezando
Vase: made in Tokoname, thrown out of Shigaraki Clay, fired in the firebox raw and unglazed where it was buried in embers and got a lot of ash resulting in some optical blues.
Tsubo: made in Tokoname out of Shigaraki Clay, thrown in two halves, fired in the firebox raw and unglazed where it was buried in embers and got a lot of ash resulting in some optical blues.
Tsubo: made in Tokoname out of Shigaraki Clay, thrown in two halves, fired in the firebox raw and unglazed where it was buried in embers and got a lot of ash resulting in some optical blues.
