Hanako Nakazato's Pottery: Embracing Imperfection and Versatile "Things"

Key Quotes

"as i spend many years away from home i started to appreciate my own culture heritage it started with food sort of i love food and i realized the japanese dining experience is very uh unique not just the ingredients but the table setting is very unique the presentation of the food and pottery plays a big role in that"

Hanako Nakazato explains that her appreciation for her Japanese heritage, particularly its unique approach to food presentation and dining, began after spending time away from home. She highlights how pottery is integral to this cultural experience, serving as a tool to enhance the enjoyment of food.

"we mix all different kinds of material and shapes and height and it's it's creating something balanced or unified out of a chaotic situation"

Nakazato describes a philosophy of design that embraces variety and complexity. She argues that by combining diverse materials, shapes, and heights, one can achieve a sense of balance and unity, even within what might initially appear chaotic.

"i'm a production potter so i can make um couple hundred pieces a day if i decide to make a cup i make 50 or hundreds of them just to get on the flow i love working on the flow because i let go of myself and just work on the wheel spinning and it's all physical you're not even thinking"

Nakazato details her process as a production potter, emphasizing the meditative and physical nature of her work. She finds that entering a state of "flow" allows her to create numerous pieces efficiently by letting go of conscious thought and focusing on the rhythmic, physical act of working the clay.

"pottery as a clay as a material it's very responsive to the touch or the movement and you have to work with intuition you have to use senses you don't you can't really think too hard"

Nakazato stresses the importance of intuition and sensory engagement when working with clay. She believes that the material's responsiveness requires artists to rely on their senses and instincts rather than overthinking the process to achieve true beauty in their work.

"i want to call my pottery a thing rather than giving a special name like a soup bowl or dessert bowl or you know ramen bowl because beyond that people cannot really think about it you know oh you have to use for ramen only and the pottery maybe the same but if you put different things this would look differently and i like the continuous change"

Nakazato explains her preference for naming her pottery "a thing" rather than assigning specific functional labels. She believes this approach encourages versatility and allows users to discover new possibilities for use, embracing the continuous potential for change and adaptation in how the pottery is utilized.

"nature is not trying to be perfect it just is there"

Nakazato draws a parallel between the natural world and her artistic philosophy, noting that nature exists without striving for perfection. She finds beauty in this inherent state of being, which influences her acceptance of imperfection in both art and life.