Festival 2009
Earthen Vessels
— Indian Pottery from Gujarat
World Premiere
Venue
Roslyn Works, 36 Uttoxeter Road, Longton ST3 1PQ
01782 235794
Dates
3 October — 29 November 2009
10.00am — 5.00pm, Tuesday — Sunday
Special event
On Saturday 28 November researcher Maham Anjum will be giving talks about India at 12 noon and 2pm. Maham visited the makers of the Indian ware on display and observed their working processes. Her stories from India will be sure to inspire. Complimentary refreshments supplied with the talk.
Many of the pots in the exhibition are for sale and can be taken away when purchased on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November with 20% on all water pots.
“Life is just a lump of clay.”
Kachchh Potter
To emphasise the global presence of ceramics together with the pressures its communities face, the Biennial is bringing to Stoke-on-Trent the work of four Indian pottery families located in the villages of Khavda and Lodai in northern Kachchh in the State of Gujarat, India.
Shipped by sea container from a remote semi-desert environment, this installation of some 200 water pots, vessels and ceremonial serving dishes is the output of monthly firings, made for the domestic markets. Their presentation in a former 19th century factory site, now a hub for creative industries, contrasts two different approaches to domestic ceramics. The functional properties of clay placed in such a challenging environment for the storage of water and food also serves as a model for the climate-changing West.
Beautifully made and decorated, these pots are firmly rooted in the traditions and materials of India but they resonate across cultural geographies, transporting our imaginations back through our ceramic heritage to the heat and dust of India.
The potters are:
- Sri Hassan Umer and Srimati Amina Bhen
- Ibrahim Kassam Khumbhar, Sara Bhen, Abdul and Rehima
- Ahmad Kassam Khumbhar, Halima Bhen and Amin
- Mohammad Hussein and Hoor Bai.
These amazing pots will be available for sale.













