Pottery through history -DAWN - The Review; November 30, 2006

Pottery is the expression of man’s affectionate association with clay. Be it earthenware utensils, artefacts moulded from porous bodied clay or porcelain from times immemorial; people have shaped a world of art to reveal their creativity. This love gradually lessened with the highs and lows of times, when cheaper options like plastics took over.

The fascinating link with archaeology also makes pottery a representative of the various periods of history – the way people lived and the approximate dates that they lived in. Today, pottery traditions have been obscured by the thick fog of industrialisation and commercialism.

Though there is no denying the fact that it has been an integral part of the world’s cultures and civilisations, it has not been preserved as duly as the other arts have been. The third ASNA Clay Triennial 2006, held recently, offered food for thought and urged people to make efforts to provide succour to this dying art.

The inaugural event was followed by a two-day seminar where ceramists, potters and researchers addressed issues confronting the industry and traced the history of pottery in the regions.

The keynote speaker, Sheherezade Alam, who calls herself a potter, opened the first day of the seminar with a heartening presentation on how her pottery evolved with ups and downs of her life. Through the seven chapters of her life which endured pain and relief in strange ways, Alam kept reverting to clay to seek solace. And every time she did, her pottery looked more refined and reformed.

Followed by the speeches of Rumana Hussain, editor of Nukta Art, Nilofar Farrukh, the founder member of ASNA, and Marjorie Hussain, art critic, the seminar began with a volley of visual presentations on the historical and contemporary nature of pottery and ceramics in various countries and regions. Stunning artefacts, pots, earthenware, tiles etc. embellished with motifs of traditional local designs of Multan, Sindh, Ajanta and extraordinary glazed and non-glazed finishes of Finnish, Australian, Japanese, Indonesian and Indian origin, were ideally fixed in visuals to transport the audience to the wonderful world of pottery.

To the participants, comprising a mix of students, teachers and art buffs, the international papers were a source of information while the inquiries made on the South Asian soil were a matter of personal enrichment. Dr Asma Ibrahim’s provoking insight on the vital connection between pottery and archaeology, invited potters and ceramists to join hands and indulge in more research and investigation to ascertain the historical backgrounds and the glorious civilisations that were deciphered through ancient pottery –– the Moenjodaro relics, the Indus Valley civilisation, the Mehargarh period in Balochistan and the Harappan civilisation. “Artefacts do not exist in vacuum they tell us about the psychology and different aspects of the culture of people who produced them,” she said.

Sevim Cizer presented images of the beautiful pottery of Turkey, “revealing the ancient cultures of colour and form; a rich heritage on which contemporary Turkish ceramics has been built,” she said. Various rural villages such as “Karacasu, Menemen and Avanos…have played an important role in preserving traditional forms and production methods.”

Reyaz Badruddin from India made interesting insights on his visit to Japan to see pottery there. Fauzia Aziz Minallah pleaded the case of the potters of Saidpur whose art is on the verge of extinction owing to their marginalisation in the wake of development and construction.

Khristine Michael will be publishing a book in India, based on her research on the history of crafts in the subcontinent as it evolved with craftsmen selling their products in the local markets to eventually exporting them to faceless buyers.

Michael aptly pointed out in her paper that Indian art criticism today does not touch upon the recurrent changes taking place in the traditional practices. She delved into important queries such as ‘what is the meaning of the Indian traditional craft’ and ‘whether it seasoned under Hindu or Islamic manifestations or emerged from an amalgam of local ethnic influences to pick up a corroborated sense of identity’.

The advent of the British Empire in India eventually tailored the crafts to fit foreign designs and demands. She mentioned Dr Alex Hunter, a medical practitioner by profession but very interested in archaeology, who not only contributed to formal art education in India but also developed the industrial design that somehow eroded the typical Indian ethos from the sensibility of the craftsmen.

Ayesha Noorani’s paper emphasised that Islamic art and architecture have been utilitarian in nature, having evolved from Sufi orders. As craftsmen invoked the names of God in their paintings, artefacts and architecture etc., they also felt the divine energy which instilled in them the virtues of love, tolerance and contemplation. “All Islamic art is related to each other and is not in isolation but with a purpose,” she said.

Portfolio presentations at the seminar by various potters and ceramists between papers and articles were also well-received. An emphasis on visuals and images on the big screen not only sustained the interest of the students present in the auditorium, they also kept the non-technical audience focussed on the topic. The whole idea behind the event was not to promote art for the sake of art but art that serves a purpose.

A mela with a cause

The Kumhar Mela, at the Karachi Arts Council, was the concluding event of the third ASNA triennial. Organised in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism, the event brought potters from Saran Valley, near Peshawar, Quetta, Khuzdar, Saidpur, Harappa, Nassurpur, Hala, Thar and Badin to display their wares. While the exhibition and seminar fall in line with ASNA’s objectives of bringing contemporary Pakistani ceramics at par with the international art scene, the Kumhar Melawas the second arm of the organisation’s agenda which is to promote local crafts.

By providing a venue for the display of potters’ crafts, opportunities to interact with other artisans and build retail networks in the city; the mela acknowledged the debt of humble beginnings to a country progressing towards globalised aesthetics.

Although some of the participating potters had had some measure of urban contact in each of their respective provinces, most of them had never interacted with each other. Clay work techniques in all parts of Pakistan are distinct from each other, as they depend on the kind of clay available in the region, and the kind of decorative patterns local to the province in which they are produced. Dialogue between craftsmen will not only expose them to materials and techniques being used in other parts of the country but it will also promote healthy competition and improve the quality of their products.

For the potters suffering a poor client turnout in their own districts, the Kumhar Mela provided an opportunity to make their niche in the urban market. To this end, other than popularising the event to the general public, ASNA has also directly contacted craft stores which may also exhibit these wares.

The inclusion of the traditional crafts can help precipitate a revival of the dying craft. For the most part, the Kumhar Melawas all about giving respect and recognition to the craftsmen, who are never appreciated for their toil and labour. Amelioration of their conditions is the main objective of this enterprise, which hails from a spirit of social responsibility towards the underprivileged. — S.K.