Documentary on Potter Lisa Hammond

Before you begin this fine week with us I think you better put the kettle on and get comfortable as Goldmark have put together another of their awe inspiring documentaries following the work of a potter in the lead up to their latest exhibition. Today the creative we get introduced to is another English talent named Lisa Hammond who much like Svend Bayer highlighted here in March is heavily influenced by the tradition and style of Japanese pottery. As I mentioned previously these films go a long way in documenting the overall picture with the process of the individual highlighted quite extensively, alongside the back story which explains how their skill and style has been developed. I believe that with crafts many of us are very curious beings, we love to see the journey, the expression and the reason why these creatives decide to take up the medium they participate in.

As a potter Lisa is rather experimental and likes to create simplistic functional pieces, letting the decoration develop itself naturally through her soda firing process. She has spent time in Japan learning a great number of shino techniques where this type of craft is inherently connected to the Japanese way of life. For example Lisa explains in the film, which I didn’t know previously, that the Japanese have dedicated glaze makers who focus soley on this element as a day job which goes a long way in highlighting the demand for handcrafted objects in this part of the world. I was disappointed to learn that many of our ceramic and pottery schools have been closing down here in contrast, it seems a real shame to me that the next generation here will get less opportunity to consider pottery as a viable career option.

This is one of the reasons we do what we do here because we believe that their is value in these crafts, we believe that young people can take an interest in this type of thing if only given the opportunity to see it for themselves. Lisa is bearing the torch in many respects and I’d like to see her work viewed by as many eyes as possible, you never know who it might inspire. One thing I did find really refreshing was Lisa’s appetite for involving others in her chosen field, she comes across as quite passionate about continuing this art on and bringing new individuals into the fold, which is exactly what we need. One example you will see in the film below is Yo Thom who spent time apprenticing with Lisa at the beginning of the millennium, she is someone who has gone on to open her own small studio in Hackney, London quite successfully and Lisa has been a big part of this.

This film is a bit longer than the ones we typically post but we don’t share anything we don’t believe isn’t worth spending your time consuming, in fact I know many of you are going to really enjoy it. Once you’ve watched it all if you liked what you’ve seen why not head across to the potters page and see what you think to the work showcased in her gallery, if you’re local you can involved in one of her classes too. Alternatively, if you’re like us and don’t live around the corner why not have a search around and see who’s running an open studio scenario in your area, both myself and Mark have taken up classes in the last few months and I can really recommend having a go yourself. Enjoy!

www.lisahammond-pottery.co.uk
www.goldmarkart.com

BECOME A PART OF OUR DESIGN JOURNEY

Special discounts on OEN Shops curated collection

  • Exclusive behind-the-scenes content
  • Early access to content from our OEN publication
  • Deep dive into design concepts
  • Curated guides to the worlds top art and design cities
Become a patron at Patreon!
This content is available exclusively to members of OEN Patreon at $5 or more.

1 Comment

  • Linda Bloomfield

    Yo Thom now lives in Shaftesbury with her photographer husband and two small children. She is still making pots but is also very busy looking after her children

Comments are closed.