Ideas fired in clay
- XIX IV October
- Mumbai 2015
- 36-41
A group of 15 contemporary potters from across the country had gathered at the Golden Bridge Pottery (GBP) in Pondicherry on a salubrious afternoon in January 2000. They were there on pedagogue Ray Meeker’s invitation, to attend a workshop conducted by Mike Dodd. Dodd was in India to share his techniques, his philosophical approach to ceramics and his experience as a studio potter in Britain. However, at teatime, some in the group expressed a sense of dissatisfaction. They felt that in India ceramists fell between the cracks. Their choice of medium was often misunderstood. Patrons were few and far between and there were only a handful of serious collectors. Those who made bespoke objects for use lamented that their work was often compared to mass-produced factory products. Only a small number of people could perceive the difference between a beautifully hand-crafted ceramic work and an industrially produced one. Moreover, very few galleries supported ceramics as a medium; many others were reluctant to even show their work.