NEWS & EVENTS > INTERVIEW
"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
August 2017
What are the future plans of you and your team?
The closest upcoming event is in September, and is an educational tour to Jingdezhen to learn wood-fired pottery. Also, we are going to merge the two studios in Chai Wan and Sheung Wan into one. It will be a two-storied shop and will provide different workshops. The idea is that by gathering people in this space, there can be more possibilities for many things. For example, artists who rent our studio can also be the tutors of our workshops. Apart from earning money, artists can also learn how to teach each other, which can be a great experience for them if they should start their own studio or brand in the future. Since the art group is small, we hope that we can help each other. At the end of July, we will hold an exhibition at our Sheung Wan studio. Artworks of eight local artists will be exhibited. Also, at the end of the year I will leave Hong Kong and study abroad in Japan for a year, to figure out the channels of conducting artist-in-residence programs. Because most artist-in-residence programs have an unclear content, not really guiding participants, and if the participants’ own objective are unclear, or they are unfamiliar with the local place, then the time and opportunity is wasted. We hope to help improve the situation by creating more specific content and objectives for artist-in-residence programs. For example, if the program is to be in Japan for three months, then participants need to follow the Japanese master for this duration by learning wood fired pottery only. They can also do part-time jobs during this period, or do chores in the studio of the master, and will also have time to work on their own creations. Our targets are the new graduates. I hope to build up the network in Japan as much as possible within one year. We have a good network in Hong Kong and Jingdezhen already. It would be great if we can include Japan, and provide the program in three places. A long-term plan is to build up a network in Britain and expand it to four places. We hope new graduates can achieve their artistic dreams through our artist-in-residence program. Yet, these plans are all still in progress. Many years will be required for building up such a large network.
The closest upcoming event is in September, and is an educational tour to Jingdezhen to learn wood-fired pottery. Also, we are going to merge the two studios in Chai Wan and Sheung Wan into one. It will be a two-storied shop and will provide different workshops. The idea is that by gathering people in this space, there can be more possibilities for many things. For example, artists who rent our studio can also be the tutors of our workshops. Apart from earning money, artists can also learn how to teach each other, which can be a great experience for them if they should start their own studio or brand in the future. Since the art group is small, we hope that we can help each other. At the end of July, we will hold an exhibition at our Sheung Wan studio. Artworks of eight local artists will be exhibited. Also, at the end of the year I will leave Hong Kong and study abroad in Japan for a year, to figure out the channels of conducting artist-in-residence programs. Because most artist-in-residence programs have an unclear content, not really guiding participants, and if the participants’ own objective are unclear, or they are unfamiliar with the local place, then the time and opportunity is wasted. We hope to help improve the situation by creating more specific content and objectives for artist-in-residence programs. For example, if the program is to be in Japan for three months, then participants need to follow the Japanese master for this duration by learning wood fired pottery only. They can also do part-time jobs during this period, or do chores in the studio of the master, and will also have time to work on their own creations. Our targets are the new graduates. I hope to build up the network in Japan as much as possible within one year. We have a good network in Hong Kong and Jingdezhen already. It would be great if we can include Japan, and provide the program in three places. A long-term plan is to build up a network in Britain and expand it to four places. We hope new graduates can achieve their artistic dreams through our artist-in-residence program. Yet, these plans are all still in progress. Many years will be required for building up such a large network.
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