1.
"Fire" simply understands the random changes on the surface of the ceramic product due to the burning process. The process of boiling craftsmanship is entirely using firewood, at a certain stage, "fire lifetime" - instant fire of wind, bringing the ashes with fire to the flame to stick to some products in the furnace, When the heat is high enough, this ash forms yeast. The nature of the "fire" gives the surface of the craft pottery product different distinct, but the potter is difficult to repeat.
Unlike some localities that have been converted to burning by gas stove, with the support of science and technology in many stages; Phu Lang craft village retains manual properties almost the entire traditional ceramic process: Pottery soil is taken from local raw materials, pottery yeast completely natural, local brick kilns, now now Still boiling with firewood. It is no coincidence that the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Toho village artisans in Fukuoka Japanese province have chosen Phu Lang to conduct the "pottery development project in Phu Lang commune, Que Vo town, Bac Ninh province ”since 2021.
The main objective of the project is to "aiming to create ceramic products related to flower arrangements, high -class eating utensils not only in Vietnam but also in the world" has made the people working. The profession in Phu Lang (though not participating in the project) must also look back in their direction in the future.
2.
Born and raised in Phu Lang, 13-14 years old has been associated with pottery, up to now, artisan Pham Van Thang has over 45 years of making pottery and techniques that can be called skilled. According to Mr. Thang, the prosperous period in Phu Lang almost the whole village producing pottery, but now more than 2/3 quit the job. There are two main reasons for this situation, Mr. Thang explained: Firstly, when society develops, many items and competitive uses make Phu Lang pottery overwhelming and submerged. The second is due to the technique of the potter, if the professionals have good techniques they can maintain their long -term work, if the technique is not good, they are eliminated by people with better techniques.
Particularly for burning stages (the final stage of creating products), according to Mr. Thang, with a kiln size of 2.7m, 2.5m wide, nearly 20m long, containing thousands of products, So young people in the village are about 35 years old and do not ensure the technique of boiling. Hand -boiling experience must pay the price by studying the professional and by the poor errors that itself faces, so that it can draw themselves.
However, the two reasons above can be overcome by flexibility in the production of products that meet the requirements of the market and improve pottery skills. The most important reason for Phu Lang pottery village to exist, is also the most difficult issue today, coming from ensuring input materials, Mr. Thang said. Like the generations of his father making pottery saying: "Nhat Xuong, Second Skin, the third is careful". Bones are referring to soil materials, skin is referring to ceramic yeast, technique.
According to Mr. Thang, in the past, the exploitation of soil easily, the professionals will choose a good land to make, the defective product (mainly cracked, torn) occurs. Currently, the exploitation of land is strictly managed, only a few people are exploited, the source of raw materials becomes more scarce, so the supplier has put the whole land unchanged into the sale to the profession. Because of the small supply, the need for large land, without choosing, the professionals still have to buy poor quality soil to produce. There is no guarantee from the supplier as well as there is no standard system of checking and evaluating land quality before selling to the profession.
Mr. Thang himself and the ceramic producers have to find a way to overcome the weak quality of the input material by having to burn a few test products first, and increase the time of burning. If before, it only needs to boil 1 day 1 night, now it must last 4 days 3 nights. However, for 3, 4 years, there have been tragedies that happened, when a family bought a lot of land, the whole furnace was more than 1,000 products when choosing only a few hundred products, and then "buttocks Patch "almost all of them for selling cheap expectations to remove a little gauze.
3.
As an architect, the predestined relationship brought Tran Canh to the ceramic workshop of artisan Pham Van Thang, from which he had the idea of using the ceramic statistics itself (ceramic kiln) to bring back the floor of a building. Vegetarian goods in Hanoi. With the thought that Vietnam has many good things but people forget, or do not know how to enhance the value, the story of craft villages is not out of this number.
According to architect Tran Canh, people who make architecture, interior design and exploit, bringing the village element can create interesting works, and contribute to introducing products of craft villages and turmeric. Humanity to more people. While the pottery village in Bat Trang, or in Dong Nai, Binh Duong developed and Phu Lang gradually faded. Every situation, the future of the craft village will gradually disappear.
For Nguyen Hong Quang - Hanoi Creative Designing Festival, he shared the process of more than 10 years of working, initially facing the market, using industrial items in The works. Gradually he sought to manually work his work. Until now, he maximizes the failure to import materials but use materials found in Vietnam. The accidental discovery of natural materials not only makes the building more natural but also makes him find new joy from work.
With Viet A architect - who is in charge of large works, working with Japanese partners said that the works he implemented with certain principles of product as well as input factors. Materials next to the aesthetic factor must also ensure construction safety standards. The story of elimination in the market economy is indispensable, the core points to determine the location and difference that they need to keep, but to survive, they must gradually put the technology into.
According to Mr. Tran Trung Hieu, who brought "fire" from the artist Pham Van Thang to Hanoi, this time as well as connecting artisans with architects with the desire to find a direction for artisans and Phu Lang pottery village products. Because he really saw the loneliness of the profession like Mr. Thang at the moment.
He said that beauty will often stimulate the desire to own, if the ceramic product is sold at a moderate level for people to buy, the trade element can be temporarily guaranteed. But more importantly, the owners who own beauty will be conscious of preserving that beauty. And if those who work like Mr. Thang ensure the quality of their products, there are more people who see the value of those products, create a channel, give them a cosmetic space "showing off" with it. Many people will be much better. This is a person who cannot do it but need many hands and perspectives of new art people who can create.
