Norman van der Sluys on mon 24 jan 00
It seems to be an ingrained habit we have - inventing a substitute for
things made in other parts, then usurping the name for our own product.
Americans eat tons of "Cheddar" cheese made in Wisconsin and then
prevent the importation of the real Cheddar. We wash it down with a
glass of California "Rhine" wine. Bottger's invention became "porcelain"
and the creative experimentation of American potters in the abstract
expressionist era became "Raku". Some of these substitutes bear a pretty
good resemblance to the original product, others do not. Our own
beloved raku ware is a case in point. About the only thing it has in
common with true Raku is the fact that the ware is drawn from the kiln
at peak temperature. This is a technique that isn't even unique to Raku
in the Japanese tradition, but raku we must call it!
Meanwhile, this insistance on calling things what they are not obscures
fundamental differences and, in the case of porcelain, discourages
research and developement in the field, and has lead generations of
potters to fire their wares two to four cones higher than the original
product, with consequent increases in fuel consumption and polution. We
are lead around like sheep, locked into the mass consumption supply
chain by our craft store suppliers, panicking as this glaze component is
removed from distribution and that one is labeled dangerously toxic!
This diatribe is not meant to criticize any individual or even to
suggest that we all pack it up or confine our pot making to the
materials we can find in our own backyards. I just want to point out the
Alice-in-Wonderland environment we all live and work in. If we
understand that "conventional wisdom" is not always wise (or even
logical) we will keep ourselves open to creative solutions. Maybe we
will also be inclined to preserve the essence of, rather than the
superficial resemblence to, the valid historical achievements which are
our roots, and thus our road maps to the future.
Norman van der Sluys - in Western Michigan, where he laments the fact
that he can no longer indulge in real Camembert and Brie because some
Germans object to the idea of traditional natural food processes.
Jackpottery!
It seems to be an ingrained habit we have - inventing a substitute for
things made in other parts, then usurping the name for our own product.
Americans eat tons of "Cheddar" cheese made in Wisconsin and then
prevent the importation of the real Cheddar. We wash it down with a
glass of California "Rhine" wine. Bottger's invention became "porcelain"
and the creative experimentation of American potters in the abstract
expressionist era became "Raku". Some of these substitutes bear a pretty
good resemblance to the original product, others do not. Our own
beloved raku ware is a case in point. About the only thing it has in
common with true Raku is the fact that the ware is drawn from the kiln
at peak temperature. This is a technique that isn't even unique to Raku
in the Japanese tradition, but raku we must call it!
Meanwhile, this insistance on calling things what they are not obscures
fundamental differences and, in the case of porcelain, discourages
research and developement in the field, and has lead generations of
potters to fire their wares two to four cones higher than the original
product, with consequent increases in fuel consumption and polution. We
are lead around like sheep, locked into the mass consumption supply
chain by our craft store suppliers, panicking as this glaze component is
removed from distribution and that one is labeled dangerously toxic!
This diatribe is not meant to criticize any individual or even to
suggest that we all pack it up or confine our pot making to the
materials we can find in our own backyards. I just want to point out the
Alice-in-Wonderland environment we all live and work in. If we
understand that "conventional wisdom" is not always wise (or even
logical) we will keep ourselves open to creative solutions. Maybe we
will also be inclined to preserve the essence of, rather than the
superficial resemblence to, the valid historical achievements which are
our roots, and thus our road maps to the future.
Norman van der Sluys - in Western Michigan, where he laments the fact
that he can no longer indulge in real Camembert and Brie because some
Germans object to the idea of traditional natural food processes.
Jackpottery!
It seems to be an ingrained habit we have - inventing a substitute for
things made in other parts, then usurping the name for our own product.
Americans eat tons of "Cheddar" cheese made in Wisconsin and then
prevent the importation of the real Cheddar. We wash it down with a
glass of California "Rhine" wine. Bottger's invention became "porcelain"
and the creative experimentation of American potters in the abstract
expressionist era became "Raku". Some of these substitutes bear a pretty
good resemblance to the original product, others do not. Our own
beloved raku ware is a case in point. About the only thing it has in
common with true Raku is the fact that the ware is drawn from the kiln
at peak temperature. This is a technique that isn't even unique to Raku
in the Japanese tradition, but raku we must call it!
Meanwhile, this insistance on calling things what they are not obscures
fundamental differences and, in the case of porcelain, discourages
research and developement in the field, and has lead generations of
potters to fire their wares two to four cones higher than the original
product, with consequent increases in fuel consumption and polution. We
are lead around like sheep, locked into the mass consumption supply
chain by our craft store suppliers, panicking as this glaze component is
removed from distribution and that one is labeled dangerously toxic!
This diatribe is not meant to criticize any individual or even to
suggest that we all pack it up or confine our pot making to the
materials we can find in our own backyards. I just want to point out the
Alice-in-Wonderland environment we all live and work in. If we
understand that "conventional wisdom" is not always wise (or even
logical) we will keep ourselves open to creative solutions. Maybe we
will also be inclined to preserve the essence of, rather than the
superficial resemblence to, the valid historical achievements which are
our roots, and thus our road maps to the future.
Norman van der Sluys - in Western Michigan, where he laments the fact
that he can no longer indulge in real Camembert and Brie because some
Germans object to the idea of traditional natural food processes.
Jackpottery!
It seems to be an ingrained habit we have - inventing a substitute for
things made in other parts, then usurping the name for our own product.
Americans eat tons of "Cheddar" cheese made in Wisconsin and then
prevent the importation of the real Cheddar. We wash it down with a
glass of California "Rhine" wine. Bottger's invention became "porcelain"
and the creative experimentation of American potters in the abstract
expressionist era became "Raku". Some of these substitutes bear a pretty
good resemblance to the original product, others do not. Our own
beloved raku ware is a case in point. About the only thing it has in
common with true Raku is the fact that the ware is drawn from the kiln
at peak temperature. This is a technique that isn't even unique to Raku
in the Japanese tradition, but raku we must call it!
Meanwhile, this insistance on calling things what they are not obscures
fundamental differences and, in the case of porcelain, discourages
research and developement in the field, and has lead generations of
potters to fire their wares two to four cones higher than the original
product, with consequent increases in fuel consumption and polution. We
are lead around like sheep, locked into the mass consumption supply
chain by our craft store suppliers, panicking as this glaze component is
removed from distribution and that one is labeled dangerously toxic!
This diatribe is not meant to criticize any individual or even to
suggest that we all pack it up or confine our pot making to the
materials we can find in our own backyards. I just want to point out the
Alice-in-Wonderland environment we all live and work in. If we
understand that "conventional wisdom" is not always wise (or even
logical) we will keep ourselves open to creative solutions. Maybe we
will also be inclined to preserve the essence of, rather than the
superficial resemblence to, the valid historical achievements which are
our roots, and thus our road maps to the future.
Norman van der Sluys - in Western Michigan, where he laments the fact
that he can no longer indulge in real Camembert and Brie because some
Germans object to the idea of traditional natural food processes.
Jackpottery!
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