05/07/2022
Why the slow, mindful craft of pottery is booming worldwide
Pottery is the perfect tactile pastime for now, say its fans, and a great antidote to the digital world. Dominic Lutyens talks to enthusiasts and professionals about their love of clay – and the power of touch.
Amateur pottery buffs all over the world are increasingly attending classes or open studios where they can choose to make pottery for one-off sessions or take out longer memberships. In the UK, the popularity of open-access studios is a nationwide phenomenon. Such spaces include Turning Earth in Leyton and Hoxton, London, the Clay Room in Leicester and Clay College in Stoke-on-Trent. In Spain, which has a rich tradition of ceramics that encompasses the work of Picasso and Gaudí, pottery is popular in Malaga, Madrid and Barcelona, while in Hungary, there is the International Ceramics Studio in Kecskemét. In Brooklyn, New York City, there is Bklyn Clay, a pottery studio founded in 2018.