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"A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people"
-Mahatma Ghandi
Amber Lei — Tung Yao Ceramics Design Studio
August 2017
Amber Lei, founder of Tung Yao Ceramics Design Studio, talks to us about the difference in arts education in Britain, China, and Hong Kong, public misconceptions of ceramics, and the inheritance of traditional ceramic art and techniques.
August 2017
Amber Lei, founder of Tung Yao Ceramics Design Studio, talks to us about the difference in arts education in Britain, China, and Hong Kong, public misconceptions of ceramics, and the inheritance of traditional ceramic art and techniques.
Can you share with us your experience in learning ceramics?
I was born in Hong Kong, but I studied primary school in Macau. After primary school I went to boarding school in Britain, where we could choose to study ceramics. I graduated with a BA in Ceramics from university, then returned to Hong Kong and founded Tung Yao Ceramics.
Ceramics is not a popular art industry in Hong Kong. What made you insist on joining this industry?
On one hand, I have been immersed in ceramics for so long, from primary school to university. On the other hand, when I returned to Hong Kong to look for jobs after graduating from university, I realised that there is a lack of ceramics-related jobs in Hong Kong, and that the general public has many misunderstandings towards ceramics. The only way to change people’s way of thinking is through education. The Tung Yao Ceramics studio plays the role of educator. Besides pottery workshops, we also provide various educational services like educational tours to Jingdezhen, and exhibitions.
You obtained your BA in ceramics from overseas. Do you have any views about a ceramics education in Hong Kong, China and Western countries compare to each other? How do you define and distinguish what is “good education” and “bad education”?
There are pros and cons in the ceramics education of each country. I would say there are huge differences between the three places. Students who study ceramics in Britain have to take up sole responsibility of the process from beginning to end, from preparing the materials for pottery making, to curating an exhibition. But the situation in Jingdezhen is entirely different. As Jingdezhen is rich in resources, there is no need to be responsible for every procedure in ceramics. Jingdezhen is like a mega-factory that produce ceramics. You would specialize in the area that you are good at. So for example you could spend your whole time throwing, not touching the processes of glazing or fettling. There, ceramics is a kind of industrial arts rather than simply “art,” so this is the difference between China and Britain.
With regard to education, it is helpful to first talk about what it is like to study art subjects in Britain. Other than the specific knowledge and skills of ceramic making, students are also trained to be an art professional by learning how to financially support themselves, setting the price of their work, selling their work through different channels, and self-promoting themselves as artists. Art education in China demand that their students perfect their craft before pursuing other aspects of ceramics, and you can say that this is due to cultural differences. To the Chinese, craftsmanship is everything—a person with exquisite skills will be able to make a living in Asia, but not necessarily outside of Asia. For Western artists, they may be excellent in presenting and promoting themselves and their work, however their skills may not be comparable to those of the artists or craftsmen in Jingdezhen. These are the pros and cons of each side.
As for a ceramics education in Hong Kong, I would say it is limited, but at the same time not limited…it depends on what aspect you are talking about, and to what degree. For example, someone may become a ceramist in their retirement, without receiving a formal ceramics education. Even for those who study arts in tertiary educational institutions, there aren’t really opportunities to focus in-depth on ceramics like we can in Britain. Although there are ceramics courses provided by some universities, such as the Hong Kong Baptist University, they are very few. Hong Kong has not developed much of a market or platform for ceramics. If one does not have enough confidence and passion, even if they really like ceramics, then they will inevitably feel like they need to find a job that is not related to ceramics. We would like to improve the situation and change the mindset of Hong Kong people who think that an art education is useless, particularly a major in ceramics.
I was born in Hong Kong, but I studied primary school in Macau. After primary school I went to boarding school in Britain, where we could choose to study ceramics. I graduated with a BA in Ceramics from university, then returned to Hong Kong and founded Tung Yao Ceramics.
Ceramics is not a popular art industry in Hong Kong. What made you insist on joining this industry?
On one hand, I have been immersed in ceramics for so long, from primary school to university. On the other hand, when I returned to Hong Kong to look for jobs after graduating from university, I realised that there is a lack of ceramics-related jobs in Hong Kong, and that the general public has many misunderstandings towards ceramics. The only way to change people’s way of thinking is through education. The Tung Yao Ceramics studio plays the role of educator. Besides pottery workshops, we also provide various educational services like educational tours to Jingdezhen, and exhibitions.
You obtained your BA in ceramics from overseas. Do you have any views about a ceramics education in Hong Kong, China and Western countries compare to each other? How do you define and distinguish what is “good education” and “bad education”?
There are pros and cons in the ceramics education of each country. I would say there are huge differences between the three places. Students who study ceramics in Britain have to take up sole responsibility of the process from beginning to end, from preparing the materials for pottery making, to curating an exhibition. But the situation in Jingdezhen is entirely different. As Jingdezhen is rich in resources, there is no need to be responsible for every procedure in ceramics. Jingdezhen is like a mega-factory that produce ceramics. You would specialize in the area that you are good at. So for example you could spend your whole time throwing, not touching the processes of glazing or fettling. There, ceramics is a kind of industrial arts rather than simply “art,” so this is the difference between China and Britain.
With regard to education, it is helpful to first talk about what it is like to study art subjects in Britain. Other than the specific knowledge and skills of ceramic making, students are also trained to be an art professional by learning how to financially support themselves, setting the price of their work, selling their work through different channels, and self-promoting themselves as artists. Art education in China demand that their students perfect their craft before pursuing other aspects of ceramics, and you can say that this is due to cultural differences. To the Chinese, craftsmanship is everything—a person with exquisite skills will be able to make a living in Asia, but not necessarily outside of Asia. For Western artists, they may be excellent in presenting and promoting themselves and their work, however their skills may not be comparable to those of the artists or craftsmen in Jingdezhen. These are the pros and cons of each side.
As for a ceramics education in Hong Kong, I would say it is limited, but at the same time not limited…it depends on what aspect you are talking about, and to what degree. For example, someone may become a ceramist in their retirement, without receiving a formal ceramics education. Even for those who study arts in tertiary educational institutions, there aren’t really opportunities to focus in-depth on ceramics like we can in Britain. Although there are ceramics courses provided by some universities, such as the Hong Kong Baptist University, they are very few. Hong Kong has not developed much of a market or platform for ceramics. If one does not have enough confidence and passion, even if they really like ceramics, then they will inevitably feel like they need to find a job that is not related to ceramics. We would like to improve the situation and change the mindset of Hong Kong people who think that an art education is useless, particularly a major in ceramics.
About Amber Lei:
Amber is the founder and director of Tung Yao Ceramics Design Studio. Amber developed a love for ceramics at a young age and has been practicing for over 10 years. In 2015, she graduated with a BA in Ceramics from Cardiff Metropolitan Art & Design University, and has participated in group and individual exhibitions. She has also helped Cardiff Metropolitan Art & Design University to set up a ceramics exchange program with Jingdezhen ceramics institution.
About Tung Yao:
Tung Yao Ceramics is a ceramics platform, designed for ceramics lovers, artists of different fields and the public, aiming to promote ceramics arts and facilitate project collaboration and experience sharing. In the hope of bringing ceramics into life, Tung Yao Ceramics is dedicated to make ceramics arts more lively and popular by organizing various pottery workshops and educational tour to Jingdezhen. With its own studios and production equipment, Tung Yao Ceramics produces its unique product design and collaborates with different brands and ceramic artists through different exhibitions to deepen the public understanding about ceramics through different channels.,
www.tungyaoceramics.com/about
www.tungyaoceramics.com/about