Tommy Humphries on fri 7 sep 01
With all the inroads that technology is making into the traditionally
hand-work only fields, I think it is becoming necessary to change our
pre-conceptions of what hand-made is in our modern times. We have got to
defend what little human involvement is left in these areas. Call it
hand-jiggered, but make sure that the masses know that a hand was involved
in the making.
There is a machine out there to take the place of all of us, if we let
it...I have it on good authority that there is a robot potter in Italy
today, making straight vases...workin 24/7 nonstop. Machine thrown, what a
concept...
Automatic jigger machines are common, as well as automated slip-casting
lines...start to finish, fresh slip to fired pots, never touched by
humanity...sterile...
Everyone who works with their hands deserves credit for their persistence in
the face of automation. The craftsman constantly gets their ass kicked in
the open marketplace when it comes to the consumer's perception of value.
The uneducated consumer will inevitably pick the 10 buck fiesta bowl over
the 50 buck studio pot. Like others have said, educate the public, so that
they can see that there is more to the value of a pot besides the cost, and
usefulness. Most of those cheap, mass produced wares are really quite high
quality pots, no flaws and they perform their tasks well. Why should they
pay extra for that bowl with the warped rim, when there are perfect ones
there for 1/5th of the price??? Let the people know what you do...keep the
wheel in view in your sales area...wait on them with muddy hands/clothes.
Show them what makes your pots special...Tell them why you love what you
do...Infect them with your enthusiasm.
Handmade or machinemade...sometimes the lines are not that clear.
For instance, until the mid 50's large stoneware jars (Marshall pottery)
were made in a strange fusion of turning and jiggering. A form was
fastened to the wheelhead and the clay dropped inside. This was centered and
opened by an arm similar to a jigger knife, and then the walls were pulled
up inside the form by the hands of a potter (ie... my Grandfather). These
40-60 gal. jars used 100 -200 lb. of clay each. I dare anyone to say that
this was not hand thrown.
Later the hydraulic presses took over producing the jars, and this large
amount of clay killed the machines...the large jars were dropped from the
product line...John Henry eat your heart out!
However the jars up to 10 gal. were fine in the presses, and remained in the
line until '90 or so when the faster firing kilns were built...the big jars
couldn't take the speed.
Now I am back hand turning the jars, up to 5 gal. 20 or so in a day...the
presses could make 500 in that same time, but now nobody wants them...they
can watch me make these jars...they can see that there is no comparison to
the old pressed jars. They got educated.
Ivor, Vince, Mel, Earl...All who have been defending HANDwork from the
inroads of MACHINEwork, I tip my hat and salute you...I just wish it was
possible to draw the line more clearly. Potters keep drawing that line in
the sand, and the machines keep sweeping it away till we are fairly backed
into a corner...teeth bared and nails (what's left of them) slashing.
I think there are interesting times ahead for all of us.
Tommy Humphries
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