Anagama week!
This week was a lot of hard work and up & downs to the mountain. The week started with organizing and transporting the pots to the kiln firing. I was assigned to keep everyone’s work safe. Yes, I was in the back of a truck making sure non of the pots break. It looks like an easy job but the pressure to keep someone else’s CERAMIC art work safe can be stressful!
The Anagama started and people were having fun, eating, and talking around the firing. I went a few times before my official shift to get more familiar with the area. The anagama was located at the top of a mountain. A 20 minute drive from Onishi. I met some people who were volunteering to help with the firing. It was a good time!
Meanwhile in the office, Rory finished the official exhibition poster and we ordered tons of copies to hand them around town. Take a look at the final poster!
On Friday night Rory and I were the assistants for the night shift. From 12am to 6pm we had to help Mark and Neha with the Anagama firing. It was such an interesting experience. The ride to the mountain was so much fun. It was dark and raining (a lot). We arrived safely to the firing. However, 3 cars got stuck in the mud.
Our task in the Anagama was to record the temperature changes. Every hour the temperature could only go up by 20C so we had to be strategic with the amount of wood we added to the firing. With talks, snacks, and drinks the night went on very fast. In the morning we went back to Onishi and I slept the whole morning.
Finally, on Sunday night (the last anagama night) we had a barbecue to celebrate! The food was delicious! Check out this fish.
