First Porcelain Gathering: Dialogue between Man and Mud

DAMASCUS, (ST) – Deliberations of the first Gathering of Ceramics entitled “Porcelain Dialogue” was launched recently at the Damascus Citadel. The event was held by Directorate of Fine Arts and Higher Institute of Applied Arts with the participation of twelve potters.

The forum began with a press conference in which Head of the Union of Plastic Artists, Dr. Haider Yazigi, described the gathering as a historic moment that ceramic has a special forum interested in such a noble material, by creating a dialogue between man and clay to produce a beautiful creative form.

“The gathering is a first step to rehabilitate this article, especially all historical finds in our country were of this substance that they bear the stamp of permanence far more than other materials” Mr.Yazigi said.

Director of the Higher Institute of Applied Arts, Tariq al Sawah, said that the goal of this gathering is to reviving this art which is closely linked to the Syrian civilization which focused, throughout history, on clay and cuneiform writing.

He pointed out that the reason for choosing the name “Porcelain Dialogue” as a title of the gathering comes from the importance of dialogue to achieve the development of ideas and leads us to promote new cultures of original nature.

He pointed out that the expertise of the Syrian professional potters’ expertise will be integrated into the expertise of the students of the Higher Institute of Applied Arts to develop their aesthetic and plastic vision.

He noted that the workshop will continue until the end of March, pointing to participation of porcelain students in the Institute of Applied Arts to gain more experience and learn to work in all stages where a documentary film will be screened telling the stages of the forum and how the ceramic material is changed from a clay piece to an art form.

Head of Porcelain Department at the Institute of Applied Arts, Wa’il Al -Dahhan spoke about the mechanism of the artists’ work in the gathering, pointing out that each artist began offering his own vision after ensuring all required materials where they will work within 10 days on the implementation of the ceramic figure to enter the furnace.  After the end of this stage, artists will be given time to color and configure their work of arts.  At the end of the gathering there will be a special exhibition to be distributed at the garden of Al -Assad Library and Opera House.

Mr. Al -Dahhan, spoke about the difference between the work on ceramics and other arts, noting that porcelain needs several stages, both in the formation of mud or dealing with ovens and every stage of the work needs to a special oven. He pointed out that the artists will use within the gathering a new way in the work such as newsprint, metal and RACO technique to design creative forms.

At the workshop, the artist, Sariha Shaheen, was working on the early stages to complete its work of art that carries a special character. She said that the substance of mud carries flexibility and beauty which makes it to be changed to the most beautiful works of art and the formation of pottery.

 
And her participation in the forum, she said that she will achieve a great work of about 120 cm height in an unrealistic bird shape, indicating that work begins in forming clay to fit with the idea to come after that stage of cleaning mud from the impurities from inside and outside, then the material is entered into the oven and baked to turn into pottery and then the work of art acquires the color and baked again until it is ready.

Mrs. Shaheen said that pottery work requires patience and dealing with love, adding that the gathering is actually a dialogue between man and mud and the forum is a first step to rehabilitate the porcelain.

Artist Mohammed Kfouzi, who booked his own corner in the workshop, said that he worked in ceramics ten years ago and participated in many fairs in this domain.

He added that the work in ceramics is tiring, stressing the importance of the forum for artists to brief on techniques of other potters at work.

The artist Raafat Sa’ati said that his participation in the gathering will be through a aesthetic plastic work of art, of120 cm height.

“The relationship with porcelain is old” Mr. Sa’ati said. “I am fond of ceramics being of personal and public benefit and considered that his exercise of ceramic art is a thing for the amusement.” he added.

Sh. Kh