Korean Style textured Vase

"This sense of fluctuation is what I seek in my ceramics. I first encountered it in antique Korean ceramics, particularly everyday vessels from the Goryeo and Joseon periods. Their beauty lies not in precision but in balance achieved through imperfection. Their irregularities are the result of materials that were less refined than those available today, guided by the sensitivity of the maker's hand. They possess a physical instability that feels alive. 

I cannot reproduce those works, nor do I wish to. Instead, I try to create my own form of fluctuation. I mix some kind of impurity in my clay and throw it. During throwing, impurities within the clay move unpredictably, resisting an even pull and allowing the form to shift. During firing, the same clay responds differently to oxygen-rich and oxygen-starved flames, producing subtle variations of colour across a single vessel. In many ways, I intentionally reintroduce the irregularities that commercial ceramics have spent centuries eliminating. 

Today, much of industrial production values consistency, precision and control. My work moves in the opposite direction, embracing variation as an essential part of making."

- Akiko Hirai