Australian ceramicists with their Thai colleagues
Vipoo Srivilasa
Clay Alchemy is the second phase of a program of work I have been working on for a number of years. Clay Alchemy's main objective is to set the ground work for long term relationships between ceramic artist in my birth country, Thailand, and my new home Australia. The project was organised by myself with significant funding by The Australian – Thailand Institute. This organisation promotes bilateral relations with Thailand and expansion of institutional, cultural and people-to-people links. I, and all involved, are highly grateful to the Institute for their incredible support for this and other programs that enhance understanding and collaboration between our two nations.
The first phase of the program was a solo exhibition of my work in Bangkok, establishing myself as a professional artist within Thailand and building a good working relationship with the Thai art community. Its success was essential for the development of the Clay Alchemy project.
The Project involved six Australian ceramic artists visiting Thailand and six Thai ceramic artists visiting Australia in 2006.
Australian artists:
- Janet Mansfield
- Sony Manning
- Simon Lloyd
- Sue Kneebone
- Prue Venables
- Vipoo Srivilasa
Thai artists:
- Dusadee Rumanee
- Phiphat Chit-arirak
- Surojana Sattabutre
- Amornthep Mahamart
- Prinda Setabundhu
- Worawut Suteeweerakajorn
The cultural and artistic exchanges took place through a number of different events, such as:
- A reciprocal hosting in each country by local participants, who provided unique experiences, access to studios and other venues that would not normally be possible
- Artists studio visits—observe where the art works are created and discuss various ceramic art practices
- A series of lectures and demonstrations at ceramic art departments of universities and organizations that promote ceramic art
- Studying the ceramic art tradition of each nation
- Exploration of local food and culture of each country
The tours and events, now completed, are only the first step for the Clay Alchemy project. The participants are now committed to maintaining long term contacts and enhancing the relationships of the art communities of both countries. Through this understanding and respect for each other, the artists involved will be in a position to collaborate and create bodies of works which will exhibit in both Bangkok, Melbourne and hopefully travel to other part of Australia and Thailand.
In specific, discussions are continuing within the group to develop a series of work that are inspired by the personality and interests of their new friends. This sort of inspiration could only have happen through the friendships built within the journey of the Clay Alchemy project.
Sony Manning demonstrated to an enthusiastic Thai audience
In organising this project, I fervently expect we will increase technical knowledge, cultural understanding, establish professional contacts and friendships, encourage and support the exchange of information within the ceramic arts community and expand opportunities for future exhibitions.
Project reports, journals, images and other details can be found at the project's web site www.clayalchemy.net
The following is a story written by Simon Lloyd, one of the participating artists.
Simon Lloyd
I remember hearing a fragment of conversation on the radio. It was one of those situations when the radio was on but the room was full of distractions, my thoughts shifted. Two eminent psychologists were discussing the consciousness of vertebrates. As the conversation continued one asked the other what he would really like to achieve within his area of research, the man replied, ‘to experience the consciousness of another being'.
While such a bodily experience is not possible, the experience of another, cultural experience is. Here the feeling is very physical. The wall of heat and humidity that hits you as you leave the plane in Bangkok is quite unexpected. While the airport terminal offers familiar glimpses of life ‘back home' driving by car through Bangkok reveals a very different world.
Recently l joined with group of ceramic artists as part of an exchange trip to Thailand. We Australian artists would visit Bangkok and North Thailand and later the Six Thai artists would fly into Melbourne to experience Australian culture. While ceramics was the common focus and passion for our visit, others, namely food and shopping quickly followed. This was my first visit to Thailand; I had been through Bangkok numbers of times before but only in transit from Europe and had no real idea of what lay beyond the terminal building.
As a predominantly visual person working within the design and visual arts field, I become very aware of the environments through which I pass. Fragments of such places inevitably become incorporated in my work, some appearing almost without my knowledge. I also collect things, photographs, objects, things with which I feel some affinity. They sit with me. These environments are very powerful, generating a sense of one's identity, zones in which one can function.
If one were to ask five designers or artists from differing countries to respond to a simple design brief or place, no one reply would be the same. Each would respond with some degree of cultural background bringing this awareness to the task at hand.
What struck me from our meeting with the Thai artists and later with other local artists we met was the strong influence traditional Thai culture plays in contemporary arts practice. While I should not be surprised at this, there is, it would seem, a real celebration of Thai heritage. This continuum of culture may not be present in an overtly historic or crafted way, but even in very contemporary works its influence was felt.
The textile Artist Jakkai Sikibutr ‘samples' his work from both the traditional and the contemporary. Fragments of old textiles (from the Hill Tribes of northern Thailand) are associated freely with nylon and plastic ‘kitsch' bought from the large local markets. Later he adds his own personal layer by painting figuratively on to the assembled ground of textiles and objects. While the work is painted upon it is no simple canvas. The rich textile ground is skilfully fabricated from hundreds of small material fragments, evolving in geometric patterns the large works are backed with heavy white cotton and hand finished.
This work is anchored deeply in Thailand's textile tradition which it both maintains directly (by utilising old pieces) and advances through its contemporary assembly techniques. Sikibutr is currently working the village textile workers to re-generate old skills which may later be incorporated into new works. These assemblages somehow become a metaphor, echoing the make up of contemporary Thai culture, applying change rather than necessarily accepting change.
The idea of ‘sampling' is by no means a new concept in Thailand. Historically one can see evidence of other cultures being added to the mix while remaining unquestionably Thai. A surprising example of this ‘cultural expansion' can be seen at the Grand Palace in Bangkok. The first experience on viewing the traditional buildings in the main palace compound is the intensity of the surface decoration. Here the temples and associated buildings are highly decorated, walking amongst the structures the intensity of the coloured mosaic and gold leaf (to a western eye) becomes almost overpowering. This rich coating extends to the glazed roofing tiles in red and green—the whole effect becoming that ‘of another world.'
During the late nineteenth century King Rama V added a large throne hall to the existing buildings. By this time the influence of European ideas and architectural styles was much in evidence and the new building was planned to be in the ‘classical' style. However, the finished building, while recognisably European, is roofed very strikingly in the highly decorated Thai tradition. The mix, though improbable, co-exists—the roofline dominating the bulk of the building.
The sense of a past, Thailand's past, seems in many ways not so distant, for it exists today as a very tangible entity. Certainly the craft traditions perpetuated through the centuries remain in part; although in relation to the hand production of textiles, its position becomes somewhat tenuous. Ceramics may fare better with a revival of the local pottery industries to the East of Bangkok prompted in part by tourism. I watched a woman weaving on a traditional loom—one of the last in the area. There seemed little interest from the younger up-coming generations to continue this practice. The work of this very skilled woman ranged from fine patterned silk weavings to simple shawls in rich deep colours. One particular intricate textile caught my attention. While the other similar fabrics worked around horizontal and vertical stripes corresponding to the warp and weft, this was patterned with many curving organic motives that seemed to suggest very complicated weaving techniques. Clearly a masterly work with strong aesthetic appeal, l bought it! Later examining the fabric in more detail it seemed even more complex, the dark rich brown background giving way to curving lines of rich pale straw with similar colours on the warp threads. The pattern however was not visible on the back of the fabric, save for the few forms also in straw. It is at this point that my admiration for the knowledge and skill of the weaver became complete. In looking for an explanation to a woven technique, I searched a compatible vocabulary of techniques. The ‘solution', I believe is much more common—household bleach.
As our modern societies rush headlong into seemingly unknown futures, the desire to re-think a way of living and re-establish our links with society and the environment become important—to be part of a living culture making a contribution through one's skills. During my brief visit and experience of Thailand and through my friendship with the Thai Artists there would seem to be a rich potential for this country. A balance, maintaining strong traditional links while embracing and adapting a culture in balance with its people.
Notes
Assistance is gratefully acknowledged by The Australia —Thailand Institute and Thai Airways.
For more detail of the project visit www.clayalchemy.net
