Chong works at the potter’s wheel.
THE pottery industry has been around for hundreds of years in Kuching, yet it is deemed a dying art now as many then-famous pottery workshops have closed their doors.
The few surviving ones concentrate mainly on producing flower pots and souvenirs for tourists.
In the eyes of ceramicist and landscape architect Tuson Chong, many of these surviving ceramics have lost their artisanal touch as they are mass-produced, using moulds and hydraulic presses.
With that in mind, he is working towards reviving pottery in Sarawak by making it known to the public that it is a very satisfying and therapeutic form of art even though the process is labour-intensive.
“It’s interesting every step of the way, teaching you to accept things as they are and accept faults as you’ll never know what happens during the firing process. The pot may crack or come out as a very beautiful useable work of art,” he told thesundaypost.
Pottery has been Chong’s passion since his student days in Singapore some 16 years ago, but it was a fairly recent career venture for him.
He was trained in landscape architecture and had worked in the field for more than 10 years in Singapore. He returned to Kuching in 2014 to start a business with a childhood friend but the partnership did not last.
Some of Chong’s works.
He shared that as the business failed, he had to decide on the next move to ensure his own survival.
Chong also realised he has always had an eye for antiquities, in particular Chinese export stoneware, storage jars, and ceramics.
“After about six months of thought, I decided to venture into my hobby of pottery that I picked up as a student. I wanted to start a new business that was one-of-a-kind, creative, and has interaction with art and craft.
“The curiosity of how ancient people created beautiful, yet useable ceramics was what got me interested in pottery-making,” he said.
Chong examines a tea bowl he made.
Two years ago, his pottery workshop studio and plant lover’s paradise was born out of that daring shift of career.
All round support
Chong attributed his initial success in the new venture to the support shown by his family and relatives as well as his pottery teacher in Singapore.
As an artist, he draws inspiration from everyday items, nature, antiquities, and other artists’ works.
He also believes his style has evolved over the years and will continue to evolve because pottery is an art and the evolution of styles is constant.
“My works consist of mainly useable everyday objects such as small planters, bowls, plates, mugs, and plates. Each piece is one-of-a-kind and an art form on its own. No two pieces are alike.
“I don’t have a favourite piece. I believe every piece made has its merit and is memorable because it’s hand-made individually with care and love,” he said.
His favourite potters are his mentor and teacher Jessie Lim, and a host of potters he follows on Instagram such as Akira Satake and Ryuji Iwasaki from Japan, Eric Landon from Denmark, Mats Svensson from Sweden, Elisa Helland-Hansen from Norway, Renato Imasaki from Brazil, and many more.
He admires them for their skills and techniques in producing usable art objects, for their understanding of the materials, and their eye for proportion in an object created.
An area will be extended for a plant nursery.
Scarce raw materials
With the flailing industry, raw materials have become scarce as well. Chong finds it very difficult to source for certain raw materials in Kuching.
“I produce my own materials like glaze, using local ingredients that I process myself. I get my supply of locally-sourced clay from the local pottery suppliers. This local clay comes raw and is processed in-house to remove impurities to make it usable for hand-building and hand-thrown ceramics on the potter’s wheel.
“Most of the tools and raw ingredients that I cannot make myself, I import from Singapore, Vietnam, and West Malaysia,” he said.
Chong appreciates all materials and tools equally as the process to complete a piece of pottery requires the same tools, machinery, materials, and labour.
“The process of producing a single piece of pottery takes more than a week as the hand-made pottery has to be bone dry. Then it is fired, glazed and then re-fired for a final time. It’s impossible to produce a piece within 24 hours,” he explained.
One wonders what a typical day is like for an artist such as Chong. Maybe it’s not too surprising to learn that like for many other people, the day starts with coffee.
A section of Chong’s workshop studio.
“A typical day starts with freshly brewed local coffee followed by a hearty breakfast, both served on self-made pottery.
“The plants in and around the studio nursery will be watered and cared for casually before preparation for classes start,” he shared.
Pottery classes
Chong conducts pottery classes from Wednesday to Sunday, each lasting two and a half hours. There are different courses depending on the needs of participants who range from young adults in their early 20s to retirees.
Some of the tools used in pottery-making.
He reaches his clientele mostly via social media and word-of-mouth.
“You can let your creativity flow to transform a lump of clay into your planters for indoor plants, plates and cups for your dining table, tea bowls for your daily dose of tea, customised gifts for your loved ones, and even sculptures for the ambitious ones,” he said.
The business is now in its next phase — providing a nursery space with a wide range of beautiful indoor plants, herbs, vegetables, and plant-related materials.
Co-working studio space
Chong also plans to invite other artists soon to create a co-working studio space for collaboration, workshops, and fun activities under one roof.
“I’ll be extending an area for people to choose and plant house plants in their hand-made pots. For those who don’t want to make their own pots, they can choose the available pots,” he said.
“I’m also planning a small canteen of healthy and wholesome food and drinks served on my hand-made wares. Ingredients will be sustainably planted in-house in the garden. This is also to promote self-farming and an alternative option for exercise.”
For those who aspire to find a satisfying hobby or even a career path in the world of pottery, Chong said, “Make sure you have the patience as the process is very long and tedious. Be sure to put yourself into the art of making pottery, dare to fail, accept what is available and create what is not.
“Don’t give up after a few tries. It’s very rewarding to produce a successful piece and use it later,” he said.
Pottery class participants try their hand at the potter’s wheel.