How the conscious craft of pottery is rising standard in Visakhapatnam

There’s a sure rhythm and magic to pottery. And this little bit of magic is sparking a renewed curiosity within the craft, and making a thriving group of artists, lovers and collectors in Visakhapatnam.

An antidote to the hustle of city life and the digital world, pottery is experiencing a resurgence in reputation with extra individuals searching for to expertise a tactile outlet for creativity.

For Manjari Agraharapu, it was love at first throw down. An architect, Manjari was exploring engaged on inventive mediums when she discovered herself drawn in direction of pottery whereas pursuing a course in Bengaluru. “I liked working with the fabric and all the technique of making ready clay, centering on the wheel and shaping the types was so satisfying,” she says. “I had points with nervousness and used to get overwhelmed simply. Pottery had a relaxing impact on me.”

Pottery creations at Mattikathalu.
| Photograph Credit score:
KR Deepak

A few 12 months in the past, Manjari began her studio Mattikathalu in Visakhapatnam and has seen the group develop and an curiosity in pottery spike within the metropolis over the previous one 12 months. Manjari spends time experimenting with types and patterns. “I like taking part in with color. Lately, I began engaged on a undertaking the place we incorporate color with clay,” she says.

Mattikathalu exudes a minimalistic attraction with shades of whites and yellows within the house. At her studio, the place she conducts workshops for lovers, newcomers begin engaged on the fundamental cylindrical kind, then transfer on to cups and extra advanced types. In accordance with her, the important thing components for mastering the artwork of pottery are being conscious and focussed on what one is doing.

Social media may need helped gas the recognition of the craft, however Manjari feels there’s much more to it than the “good, calming movies”. “There’s loads occurring behind the scenes. There are days of failures and constant hardwork earlier than the right piece comes out of the wheel,” she provides. Corroborating along with her, artist Anita Rao says whereas Instagram reels present potters hypnotically shaping clay, sadly, the movies beguile viewers into believing it to be easy. “There are hours of preparation, studying and cleansing up concerned!” she provides.

Artist Anita Rao educating kids clay moulding at a workshop at her studio in Visakhapatnam.
| Photograph Credit score:
KR Deepak

Regardless that artist Anita possesses a pottery wheel, she finds herself gravitate in direction of freewheeling sculptural types ensuing out of hand-building with clay. “The wheel is amenable for useful merchandise, which doesn’t enthuse me,” she says. Her studio known as HappySpace in Visakhapatnam is primarily a spot to experiment. “To check out numerous processes, buying and attempting completely different instruments, exploring numerous glazes to complete the bisque fired ceramic items,” she provides. Her studying curve was not a easy one, however which she slowly and steadily went via with distance studying mode with steering from her school seniors of Sir JJ College of Artwork in Mumbai.

Clay creations at a workshop at artist Anita Rao’s studio in Visakhapatnam.
| Photograph Credit score:
KR Deepak

In accordance with Anita, all the course of, from scratch, is each laborious and requires Goldilocks-kind of ‘excellent’, from the type of clay when it comes to its plasticity, moisture; to manipulating its dampness to get desired outcomes. “That is adopted by weeks of permitting it to dry out step by step to be bisque fired in a kiln to the suitable temperature for that clay. Thereafter, one has to use glaze and refire,” she provides. Anita, who’s pursuing her masters in High-quality Arts from Andhra College, just lately opened her studio house for lovers, contemplating the rising demand for studying the artwork.

The rising reputation

What makes pottery standard? “There was a heavy dose of expertise through the pandemic and it burned us out; pottery had a relaxing impact,” says Pranavi Kethavarapu, a graphic designer by career and a pottery fanatic. On any given afternoon at Mattikathalu studio, Pranavi and different studio members is perhaps seen lounging round, sharing a joke whereas wedging the clay or making patterns into mugs or vases. Maybe that’s the reason pottery is so standard. It helps individuals make connections.

In accordance with Sri Harsha Koppaka, a pottery fanatic, the group has been rising to incorporate greater than 30 lively members in Visakhapatnam right this moment, who’re repeatedly engaged on the medium. Harsha spends his weekends on the wheel, focussing extra on assertion items or making deal with bowls for his pet.

Shabnam Patel’s Ceramic Craft Studio in Visakhapatnam is a spot of ideation, meditation and creation, and naturally, a unbroken dialog with clay. “My studio house is a storehouse of objects discovered, collected, borrowed and generally, purchased, whose recollections I need embedded in my artefacts each actually and figuratively,” says the artist. So, you will discover containers of shells, rocks bones, dried leaves, luggage of seashore sand, wooden ash, iron manganese coal alumina ores from and damaged items of ceramic wares.

Visakhapatnam-based artist Shabnam Patel’s ceramic creation.
| Photograph Credit score:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

An architect by career, Shabnam felt structure provided no flexibility throughout the rigours of its premeditated design framework; and located herself veering in direction of the medium of ceramic. “The fantastic thing about ceramics is that the company of clay assists you in creating your approach,” she says. When Shabnam did a newcomers course on ceramics in Triveni Kala Sangam in New Delhi she developed a ardour for the medium.

Ceramics took a again seat after she returned to Visakhapatnam and acquired busy along with her profession as an architect. “Again then, pursuing ceramics as a interest was powerful in a spot like Visakhapatnam as a result of issue in sourcing uncooked supplies like clay, glaze chemical compounds, instruments and gear. Right this moment, on-line assets are lots,” she provides.

Ceramic work by Visakhapatnam artist Shabnam Patel.
| Photograph Credit score:
Particular Arranegement

She quickly acquired a potter’s kick wheel from Delhi and launched into her inventive journey on the medium. Reminiscing the early days of design collaboration in pottery, Shabnam remembers being part of a workshop designed as a collaboration between the design abilities of structure college students and the inventive experience of conventional potters of Bheemunipatnam. “We not solely marvelled on the artistry that got here out of the only of supplies below the potter’s hand but in addition gained perception into how organically designed areas create such vibrant and vigorous communities. All of the artefacts created, have been exhibited in a makeshift shack on the beachfront,” she says.

The Covid hiatus opened a chance for her to hitch for a postgraduate course within the Alberta College of the Arts and Crafts Calgary in Ceramics. “It was one 12 months of very intensive expertise in a state-of-the-art facility that provided me alternatives to have interaction and be taught from famend artists and friends like Greg Payce, Sarah Alford, Andrew Potter, Rob Froese and Natalie Rodrigues amongst others,” she says.

Returning to Visakhapatnam, she began her studio and has just lately began taking workshops. “Transferring your fingers over the mushy silkiness of clay and feeling it yield and form via the whirling rhythm of the wheel is an final meditative expertise,” says Shabnam, including “Ceramics has helped me discover refuge from the chaos of on a regular basis life.”