[Ceramic artist: Takahashi Ryo interview part 1] What flows out when it comes into contact with clay

——Please tell us about your encounter with pottery.

When I was young, I wasn't in an environment where I had any special contact with soil.

When I entered university and was looking for a club to join, I happened to go to try out a pottery club.

The moment I touched the soil, I had a strange feeling.

It feels like everything that has been building up inside of me is just flowing away.

Until then, I had the feeling that energy wasn't circulating properly somewhere.

I felt like that tension was released when I touched the soil.

--When did you first realize you wanted to continue working in pottery?

By the time I was about 20 years old, I already knew I wanted to work in pottery.

However, I didn't know how to become one, and I hadn't taken any concrete action.

I couldn't really imagine getting a regular job, so after graduating I worked part-time for a while.

Still, my desire to do pottery never disappeared.

--Was there any particular event that was a turning point for you?

I saw an exhibition by Nozomi Shinohara at a certain gallery.

At that moment, I clearly realized that I wanted to create something.

I think my mind was moving forward even while I wasn't touching the soil.

As soon as I got home, I bought a home electric kiln and started making pottery at home after work.

Looking back, it was just momentum (laughs).

--What is your ideal vessel?

I think this is a vessel that the maker has clearly understood the goal of when it will be completed.

For example, a tea bowl or a vase is only complete when something is placed inside it.

The important thing is whether or not it meets the intended purpose.

Among the various uses of the vessel, such as using and looking at it, where does the maker want the vessel to be used?

When will it be completed?

For me, the ideal vessel would be one that is made with this in mind.

*A corner of the workshop

- Has your attitude towards creating art changed since your student days?

It has changed a lot.

When I was a student, I would sit at the potter's wheel without thinking too much, but now I try to imagine the finished product to a certain extent before I start making something.

However, even if you can imagine it, it is another matter whether you can actually put it into shape.

It feels like I'm getting closer to my ideal through research every day.

—— What are your thoughts on soil?

I get my clay from a clay shop in Shigaraki, but it's mass-produced and doesn't feel like anything special.

It's not that I don't have any preferences, but right now I want to reduce the uncertainties that occur during firing as much as possible, so I choose to use clay with stable properties.

I choose clay that I can trust so that I can focus on the shape, the glaze, and the fire.

The second part will be released tomorrow.