Raku technique workshops
The Wladyslaw Hasior Art School Complex in Koszalin realised, thanks to the Wena Scholarship Programme, a project related to raku – the Japanese method of firing ceramic pieces with live fire. The raku ceramics comes from the island of Kyoto and is typically used to craft teacups. The ceramic pieces made with this technique are characterised by a seemingly cracked surface of the glaze – through these cracks, the smoke enters the structure of the clay, bestowing on it a specific, ancient appearance.
The project comprised technological workshops for both the students and the teachers of the Art School Complex in Koszalin and the neighbouring secondary art schools. The Japanese technique taught during the workshop is much more difficult than the regular ceramic production, but the effects are much more intriguing. The lead teacher, Tomasz Szymichowski, organized the project under the auspices of the master craftsman, Professor Rytis Konstantinavicius, who is the best known specialist of this craft in Poland. Professor Konstantinavicius, who lectures at the Academy of Fine Arts in Wroclaw, has inspired and introduced the youth to the secrets of this type of ceramic firing.
Usually, the raku technique is not taught in secondary art schools due to technological constraints. In the frame of the grant, the school purchased a special kiln for uncontrolled ceramic firing. The effects of the students’ work were presented in a school exhibition together with an album documenting the workshops. After the workshops, many students have set out to plan a continuation of their education in the field of ceramic arts. A new dialogue has been taken up between the school and the Academy of Fine Arts in Wroclaw in order to establish a permanent cooperation and transfer of knowledge.
Lead teacher – Tomasz Szymichowski conducts lessons in sculpture and ceramic art.
Below we present a selection of pieces by the finalists:
Poniżej publikujemy krótką relację z wręczenia grantu w siedzibie Fundacji Rodziny Staraków:
