Late last September the Eden Project were looking for some pottery for their new Eden Bakery concept. This concept was originally concieved by Clive Cobb of the TownMill Bakery and part of his success with this concept is the combination of fresh bread and fresh food served in handmade pots, made by potter Don Hudson

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Jacob and I proposed a range of tableware, After a bit of refining we branded it and presented it to the Eden team.

Made to fit into every kitchen, it is inspired by traditional european pottery.
It looks like Crème Fraîche and we were thinking of Vermeer's 'the Milkmaid'
and Mark Rothko for the composition of the amount of slip application.

Spanish, Greek, French (Alsace, la Borne, Normandy) and Cornish of course!
There is a nod to all these traditions ,yet the way we chose the clay,
the manner in which we use the slip and the way we glaze gives this body of work a contemporary feel..

It is exctiting to be reviving tradition and put two fingers up at all those that think traditional influences are too passé for the 21 st century ..

Tradition can be revisited, and envigorated.
I remember late at night some amazing cuban singer talking about his musical tradition and tradition in general,
his deep warm voice saying. .

Ya know, If there is no oxygenisation within tradition it will not be passed on.
without oxygen there is no life.
Without tradition there is no roots,
if there is no roots, there is no tree;
and with no trees there is no life.

We are living in interesting times.
We are no longer tied down to tradition.
liberation from it has benefited the prolific and creative output in Ceramics in the latter half of the 20 century.
Britain being one of the most vibrant places for this.
The outcome has been that ceramics has flourished and that pottery has nearly died. . buried alive by university academics and many a ceramicist trying to detach themselves from it.
The poor quality of both craftsmanship and esthetics by alienated and disenchanted potters are also to blame,
coupled with the bombardment of quality design.

Yes Design has surplanted religion in its take on people.
It is not tecnology that changes the world so quick but Design.

Design is power and more often than not the production process directly linked to Design ommits the soulfull entity,
it erases the memory of the making process and the conciousness naturally present in the making of an object.
Objects become almost virtual pieces made with basterdised materials that have no energy.
A mug from a supermarket if broken will no be missed, for there is no connection with the object, the material and making process carry no life.

How can people understand what they are missing if in their lives they don't use handmade pottery.

So many people.. good, talented, cultivated people, never had a clue of what they missed before we converted them to living with the handmade..

Handmade pots will make a difference in your life, an a much bigger difference than you think.

Jacob and I are producing this new range for the Eden Project. Check out Jacob's blog photosandphilosophy for more images of the making process. We are making very affordable pots for all. .