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Anna Mulders | Episode 222
Anna Mulders studied and worked in science while taking evening classes in art, including over ten years of sculpture and five years of ceramic courses. Since the end of 2013 Anna’s focus has moved from science to art. One of Anna’s favorites are coffee cups with rich colors and random effect due to glaze dripping or irregular firing.
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As a maker what is your favorite part of making, do you like the throwing, do you like the glazing, do you like the firing, what is your favorite part of making?
I guess the experimentation, thinking about new shapes. Then within the making process I do a lot of slip casting. I like that process and the carving of the cups with the sort of gentleness you have to finish them off. I guess my least favorite is the glazing because you just have to be so careful and there are no shortcuts.
What is your favorite tool that you work with?
That is a difficult one. There’s my carving tools. There is one particular, I guess it’s an old credit card that I cut on a certain angle, that I use on my cups when I make shapes on the wheel. This particular one is more sturdy than all the other credit cards that I have used. So I make sure I don’t lose that one.
Tell me about your thoughts about the role of an artist in society today.
It’s a difficult one. I think there is a role in the handmade stuff currently in society. It seems to be valued a lot. I see this as a sort of counter-movement against the large globalization that’s going on. Companies and banks taking advantage of the common people to some extent and the rich getting much richer. The artists can sort of go against this, as making handmade stuff, there is honesty to that.
What has been a memorable response that people have had to your work that has stuck out to you?
What I love and try to achieve is that people have their coffee or their tea out of my cups and they use it as a moment of reflection in their lives. They are able to hold them, and just quietly sit and think and think about the good things and the small things in daily life that make it worthwhile. Some people have acknowledged this. I guess this has been the best feedback ever because that is my intention with this particular cup.
If art could change the world how would you want to see it change the world?
I would like to see more equality for people. All similar, do what we want to do, not too much wealth concentrated but spread evenly. All people able to live their lives in a normal level without hardship or excessive wealth. I do not know how this can be done of course but his is what I would love to see.
Describe for me your perfect meal?
I love food and I don’t eat meat. I love vegetables and I love seafood. I can’t recall if I have ever had the perfect meal. When they combine vegetables in interesting ways and the flavors explode in your mouth in different ways.
Book
This House of Grief by Helen Garner
Contact
Instagram: @ammulders