Dialogue - Shimizu Shiro -

The scenery you see is reflected in the vessel

"What do you believe in when making pottery? The process of creating a piece begins before you even sit down at the potter's wheel," says Shimizu.

If you think about efficiency, that thinking will be reflected in your work, and if you enjoy the process of creating, that will also be reflected in your work.

He started holding exhibitions when he was 23 years old, and in his mid-20s he focused on output, deciding what kind of exhibition to put on each time.

As I approached my 30s, I decided to focus on learning about things that interested me, rather than focusing on output.

If there's something that interests you, try it first.

He has studied the ways of thinking and living from professional teachers in various fields, including the tea ceremony, calligraphy, qigong bodywork, cooking, and kintsugi. Looking back, he says he was influenced by things like "attitude."

Like a Zen riddle, he repeatedly ponders fundamental questions every day, such as what a vessel is, and places more importance on seeing, hearing, and feeling with the five senses than on words.

Dealing with the soil

Shimizu's focus is also on soil because he finds the chance products created by the natural environment fascinating and intriguing.

He started digging soil when he was 28 years old. It all started when a friend who runs a restaurant in Kyoto asked him, "Why don't you dig soil?" The first river soil he dug had a good balance of moisture and the particles were naturally fertilized, so it seemed like it could be turned on a potter's wheel as it was, and he discovered the joy of turning river clay into pottery as it is.

Since then, he has continued to collect soil, feeling a sense of connection with it, from around his workshop and from the places he visits for exhibitions, "just like a child becoming engrossed in something."

"Digging up soil isn't just about getting raw materials; the act of digging up soil itself gives me energy. If I look closely, I see clay soil all around me, and the way that world unfolds is fascinating and addictive. People might say, 'That's a tough job,' but it's just a joy for me."
When we were shooting the photo, we came across the stratum by chance on the way back to the workshop after finishing digging. At the same time, heavy rain happened to fall.
During the shoot, we accompanied the digging process despite the unfortunate weather. "I really love digging," said Shimizu as he silently continued searching for soil.

Working with Shimizu on the material clay, I discovered that it is not easy to find clay suitable for making vessels, and that one must embrace the clay as a material, as unexpected stones may be mixed in and the clay quality may limit the final shape.

I return to the workshop and start working on the potter's wheel. There is only the clay and myself. I don't think with my head, I just touch the clay and talk to it as if I am being led by nature. The reason I do this is very simple: because I love it.

To avoid becoming mechanical

Shimizu recalls that when he was in his 20s, there was a time when he chose more efficient methods for making pottery, rather than using hand-cranked potter's wheels or wood-fired kilns.

In order to change yourself, you need to start by creating an environment that is conducive to your own success. At the time, he gave up the electric potter's wheel that was in his workshop and introduced a kick wheel to create his pottery. He declared that he would stop using purchased clay and would create his works only using clay that he dug up.

It is not hard to imagine that this new challenge entailed a lot of trial and error.

Every day, I face my work using not only my head but also my body, sharpening all five senses. Without being trapped by success or failure, I create things that I can be satisfied with as my current form, true to my sensibilities.

"I'm attracted to old things and handcrafted things because they have a sense of human sensibility, such as a sway or tilt, and have a non-mechanical feel. If I make something using only my head, people who pick it up may say, 'Wow,' and be convinced, but I feel like it's difficult to reach the heart."

Facial expression of the moment

"When I start making them, the only things I decide are the size and the number of pieces." Shimizu's works are almost never standard. Basically, he decides on a theme for each exhibition or what he is currently interested in, and creates something new each time.

Shimizu says that he is not suited to making the same thing over and over again in order to reach a finished product. The works he creates retain the expressions that emerge by chance as he works with the clay.

"I don't know how it's going to turn out. As I do it little by little, the direction will become clear." As I continue to move forward by trial and error, the direction I should head for will gradually become clear.

He carves it over and over again, imagining the scene in which he would actually use it, holding it, or bringing it to his mouth to check how it feels to use. Because it is handmade, there are variations, but that also allows him to find a piece that fits comfortably in each person's hand.

The "Shimizu Shiro Ceramic Exhibition" will be held from July 23rd. I'm looking forward to seeing what shapes the excavated soil will take and how they will be lined up in the reflecting space.