The Last Kilns | Timeless - video Dailymotion

AsiaOne

Long Yao, or Dragon Kilns first appeared in the Shang Dynasty, but today, there's hardly any left. In Singapore, only two remain, and Thow Kwang Pottery is the only operational one. Project Director Yulianti is candid about the productive irrelevance of Dragon Kiln as technology advances, but shares how Thow Kwang sustains timelessly through a pivot to education and workshops, envisioning it as an artist platform. She wishes earnestly for a successor to her craft, being in her 70s, but she believes it to be of no rush, as the right one will come eventually  Watch more: https://www.asiaone.com/video

Transcript

00:00Maybe the flame of fire, to move

00:03just, you know, move across this artwork

00:06I call it Dancing Flame of Fire

00:18I'm Yulian Tee Tan

00:20I started this journey since 1980

00:23as I married to my husband

00:25he's the owner of the Dragon King, Mr Tan

00:30This company was started in 1965

00:33by my father-in-law

00:36My father-in-law, he moved into Singapore in 1965 from Malaysia

00:42and he bought over this Dragon Kiln

00:45to start productions with a small cottage industry

00:49to produce the latex cup

00:52This latex cup is a kind of the small container

00:55to collect the rubber sap from the rubber trees

00:59So after that, they start with the orchid pot

01:02and slowly move on to the ornaments

01:07made to order for the hotel use

01:09And we made earns in the time that Singapore reclaimed a lot of land

01:13When my husband took over

01:15the industry in the 80s is slowing down

01:19Then we import as the demand is low and the costing is higher

01:25I think in the early 90s, we stopped using the Dragon Kiln as a production

01:37Wood-firing kiln that was discovered in China during the Shang Dynasty

01:44So this Dragon Kiln was built by Briggs

01:47So they built this Dragon Kiln on a slope

01:50So technically, it's hot air rises

01:53So they have the firing box in front

01:56They're the main chamber to stack all your pieces

02:01And at the side of both sides of the kiln

02:05So they have a small hole to fit the firewood

02:15In the past, Singapore had so many of the Dragon Kilns

02:18In the Jurong area, there are more than 10

02:20Slowly, with the national development, this Dragon Kiln was banished

02:25Tau Kuang Dragon Kiln is the only operating Dragon Kiln that I have sustained

02:30and made this Dragon Kiln alive

02:32That is a kind of respect to our pioneer generation

02:39I have a group of friends

02:42It's very passionate

02:43We start research using the Dragon Kiln as an artist platform

02:50We are originally from the production line

02:54So I feel that the educational of the ceramic process is most important

03:00That's why I started in 2000

03:02That I switched a certain part of it as educational

03:07First, this is a potter's wheel

03:10I will explain this potter's wheel

03:12They will turn

03:13But in the past, we were using kicking wheel

03:16Right now, we use this pedestal to control the speed

03:21All right

03:21So you can do the full speed

03:25Half speed

03:26Okay

03:26I use foot to explain to you

03:28It's easier

03:30Do the burger

03:31Just now, it's a cone

03:32Now, it's a burger

03:36Full speed

03:36You're using full speed

03:41There, V-shape

03:43But not this

03:45Straight

03:49Actually, everybody in their heart have their own art

03:53I feel that have their own art

03:55No matter that how well you're doing it, you see

03:58But you have to attempt to try

04:02Everybody have their own creativity

04:05My workshop, I start with three steps

04:08From nothing, you need to create

04:10So you will get lost

04:11So I will hold your hand for the first step

04:14For the second step, I will hold you for half of your hand only

04:19I wanted to build up their confidence

04:22A lot of them, they can't build up the confidence

04:25To the new area or to the new item

04:28So the third step, I will say that I've given up

04:31I will hold only 25% of your hand to move on

04:36So they have the confidence

04:37So they can add in the design

04:39Follow the flow

04:41So when you reach your artwork

04:43You will automatically have your passion

04:46Your artwork, your heart is already fit into your artwork

04:55And open up slowly

04:59Your left hand and this thumb is here

05:03So now, you use the other hand

05:06Press your thumb

05:07Press your thumb

05:11Inside is holding

05:12You are pressing your thumb

05:17Then you can see they raise up already

05:22You must feel it

05:31So everybody thinks that ceramic is only on the potter's wheel

05:35Ceramic can be anything that you form it

05:38Forming the shape is by your own

05:41When I'm doing the workshop

05:43I cannot say that they come and learn the firing

05:48I should say that we are sharing how we fire

05:54Firing of the dragon kiln is a labour of love

05:58I want to control the fire

05:59But sometimes we are uncontrollable

06:03The space, the movement of the fire and the air is already different

06:08You know, every piece will be unexpected

06:10We do two days, three days firing

06:13So when they do the firing

06:15With the different kind of the wood

06:17The wood ash will be deposited into their artwork

06:20So they fire over the time or period

06:23This ash will melt, become a natural glaze

06:27So this is a uniqueness of the artwork

06:33So you want me to show you where I made one?

06:36Yeah, yeah, let's go see what you made

06:38Sure, come

06:41Come

06:43Oh, I can go this way

06:54This one all fired in the dragon kiln

06:57When I'm doing the dragon kiln firing

06:59Dragon kiln firing

07:01Because our energy is from burning the wood

07:05So the wood ash is deposited into this area

07:08So they melt and become this, you see

07:14Same thing like this

07:16This is no glaze

07:18This is no glaze

07:19So this one I glaze, I do the colour

07:23So that you see the wood ash drop here

07:25They melt into this area

07:29The people, they will compare

07:32Why you still use the tradition to do it

07:36What's the point?

07:37What's the meaning?

07:38For me, I say yes

07:40If you can do both sides

07:42What is a high-tech thing?

07:43That is to move forward globally

07:46But the history, you cannot rewind it

07:49Or to redo it

07:50But there is a value of it, you see

07:53Actually, I'm an electronic engineer

07:55I'm a computer engineer

07:57Actually, I'm an electronic engineer

08:00My personality, I try to challenge

08:02To try a lot of different things

08:05You see, to test whether

08:09How much percentage that my passion is

08:12But I think that everything I try, I enjoy it

08:16Once you love your career

08:19Everything is a learning journey

08:21I put all my heart into it

08:28I like this one

08:30Because when my first grandson was two years old

08:34Then I did some clay work

08:38That he pinched this one

08:40That's why I must keep

08:41He's now 13 years old

08:44So this, I like it

08:49I like this one

08:51This one is an old piece

08:55I look back to my journey

08:56Of my start of this workshop

09:00I start with my own self

09:03With a very small group

09:04So I had to start a one-man show

09:06From preparing the clay for the workshop

09:10Sharing the history

09:12And sharing the process

09:14Keep this area more relaxed

09:16When we step in here

09:17To do the workshop

09:18Or to brush around

09:20So from there, people can understand

09:23More of the process of the ceramics

09:25And they can value

09:28The value of the ceramics

09:30Rather than just the production

09:33Or the tableware

09:37I feel that I have a lot of community

09:40A lot of friendship through firing

09:44Still a lot of people appreciate

09:46Of my work

09:47Still a lot of people appreciate of it

09:51That's why when I opened up

09:52My dragon kiln for firing

09:56Two times a year

09:57This whole journey

10:00Is a team bonding

10:02That reflects me to improve

10:04To learn actually how to

10:08Make this workshop more valuable

10:10It means that more educational valuable

10:13It's not the artwork valuable

10:15So they inspire me a lot

10:22We don't balance ourselves

10:24From doing the work that we like it

10:28And with our income

10:30So how I move, how I share

10:32How I want to give back to the society

10:35How I want to share with the community

10:38So we all both have our own

10:40Responsibility on different parts of earth

10:44As you know, my husband and me

10:45That we are getting 70 soon

10:48So, you know, we are not so energetic also

10:52And the labour to maintain this area

10:56Is a challenge for us

11:01Our generation getting older

11:03So we need to fit in young ones

11:05To have the successor

11:07But this successor is not very easy

11:11Even not from the family members

11:13Or from others

11:14The people don't like this kind of career

11:17It's a long hour

11:19It's not in the air-con room area

11:22They want work from home

11:25Artwork, clay work, all this is a long journey

11:28Maybe you need to spend a few years

11:31To grow this passion

11:33I don't think that

11:35Finding a successor is not the time limit

11:39When the time comes

11:41When the right person comes and approaches you

11:44That is a person to really have passion

11:47There's a person that you can lay to them

11:53I'm just a normal, ordinary people

11:57I'm just sharing what I know

11:58But I'm just sharing what I know

12:00And people teach me and give me the correct way

12:04So I think that I cannot say that

12:07My legacy is on this part

12:09I think that everybody has a different way

12:11I'm learning from others

12:13Dare themselves, give them a legacy

The Last Kilns | Timeless

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