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Yoon Surl | Episode 581
Creating pots is for Yoon Surl the ultimate act of consciousness. Rather than letting Youn’s unconsciousness drive his art work, Yoon fashions clay into a shape that corresponds to a preconceived vision.
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Why is an apprenticeship relationship so valuable?
So the apprenticeship period was actually the one that established my craftsmanship. It allowed me to learn how to make actual pots.Being in an apprenticeship is actually a really, really perfect time for you if you have that to learn how to make pottery because your being a potter in a studio that has been run by a master and the master is the one who can relay all the knowledge for decades and you are the one who is learning for a relatively short period of time. So for me being an apprentice the knowledge that I have learned is absolutely a lot, that I really appreciate about it.
Who is an apprenticeship really meant for?
Someone who really wants to learn the pottery itself. And being willing to give your labor, because being a pottery and giving your labor is un-detachable. You always have to be comfortable with heavy clay, you always have to be dealing with getting messy, and you are always dealing with cleaning and things. So as long as you are mentally prepared I think everyone is allowed.
What should an apprentice look for when they are trying to choose a master?
It is always better to have a certain amount of skill sets before becoming an apprentice. Because dealing with the clay as a potter takes a certain amount of time to feel comfortable and to be able to control the clay. Apprenticeship is really a limited amount of time that you are available in your life. You don’t really want to waste your time establishing your basic skills. So I am recommending people who already have a certain skill set, so when you are choosing the master you need to look deeply into not only the pottery but the person itself. Because it is not only a relationship between the teacher and the student you are actually dealing with him or her for 24 hours, 7 days. For me the relationship is more like a wife and husband and married life. T he married life is important because if you get too comfortable that’s when you get in trouble. You always need to respect each other and think about their perspective and what they need.
How do you find a master? How do you find an apprenticeship program?
It was kind of challenging for me to look for a master in Korea engaged in social media. But luckily I was able to find a master who was knowledgeable enough in social media. There is a website called Neighbor in Korea, it is the same concept as Google and he posted the recruitment of an apprentice. even two months before I saw the post, I knew he had an apprentice already. I had been wanting to become his apprentice but he was occupied. I mean it was like my destiny. It happened really magically. He posted that post and I sent out all my information and said I was eager to learn pottery.
In terms of overall success as a ceramic maker, which is more important, to be able to make good work or to be able to talk about your work?
If I am talking about in Korea, it is really, really important to make good work. In America I think I would say it is also can be different, it depends on which way you are pursuing, as an artist or as a potter. As an artist their work as to be good but also their artist statement has to be good too because that is what contemporary art is about these days. But I don’t want to point out which is more important because they are both really important. But if you want to be a good potter I think the work is more important.
Contact
Instagram: @yoonspottery