The next stage in the process

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A couple of weeks ago I was working at a clay workshop, where ‘important’ people were invited to share their thoughts about the future of artificial intelligence while at the same time getting in touch with the Earth in a very real sense by making clay pots by hand. The target was 360 vessels. All the pots made were air dried and then bisque fired in batches in an electric kiln (basically like a thick-walled electric oven) at about 800°C (about 1500°F) to make them harder and more durable for transport. After that they were all taken to an anagama kiln, an ancient type of wood-fired kiln, and I was invited along to watch the firing. This was another fascinating technique I had never seen before. Peeping through the little opening to see the pots being fired was like a glimpse into the gates of Hell! I will have to write another post about the technical aspects otherwise this is going to be too long.