Functionality

The Bowl – A Matter of Poetry

Andoche Praudel

My first ceramics love was a chawan, a black Japanese tea bowl, a raku bowl. In Japan, raku bowls are dedicated to tea ceremony. I do not practice the tea ceremony and neither do most Westerners interested in my bowls. Which is to say? How does the bowl affect us, beyond cultural differences? Is it through its utility? Is it an interest for the technique of raku? The bowl is above all a poetic object and the chawan is not only a bowl…

First we have to consider the history of raku, since 15th century until now: Raku Kichizaemon XV was born in 1949. Zhuangzi, evoking the excellency of Cook Ting, shows how art is beyond the language. But Raku XV insists in naming his bowls… Why?

If we think deeper our relationship with Asia, we, Westerners, have to be conscious we are rich in double-binds. East and West are on each side of the bridge. But, if we cross the bridge, we get the famous lost in translation… So, we can’t cross. We keep standing on the bridge, looking over there. In any case, this is the Bridge of Creativity!


Date: October 2, 2018, 11:35-12:00 (Tuesday)

Venue: Room 603, NO.161 , Sec, 1 , Zhongshan Rd, Banqiao District , New Taipei City 220

Image credit: Courtesy of artist




About Andoche Praudel

Andoche Praudel was awarded his PhD in 1978. He lived as a painter until 1989, when he was first introduced to ceramics by the Japanese in Mexico. Praudel then visited Kōbe City, where he decided to dedicate the rest of his life to ceramics. Incorporating his French roots with the Japanese culture, he published two books in 2001 and 2006. In 2010 he collaborated with RAKU Kichizaemon XV and exhibited his work in the Sagawa Art Museum in Kyoto. Andoche Praudel periodically shows his Raku fired tea bowls and sculptures in Japan and France.

Image credit: Courtesy of speaker

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