The raku workshop certainly exceeded expectations, right from the get-go. The front of the Rings Road factory was abuzz with energy as students crowded around the raku kiln set up outside, quietly heating up to 1000 degrees. Its sides were flanked by equipment; a table stacked with buckets, filled with an assortment of liquids and coloured pigments. On the other side, a row of white clay pots awaited to be fired.

Kevin Boyd, the teacher, explained the process of raku firing, but it was only until he pulled the first batch out of the kiln that we began to understand. Quickly, he blew on the glaze, and it cracked, thin lines appearing on the glossy surface with an audible crackling sound. With the help of another student, the pot was lowered into a tin bucket, lined with newspaper which smoked and caught on fire from the heat. A tin lid, black with carbon, trapped the smoke in the bucket, which we later learned was how Raku pots got their characteristic cracks and smokey tones.
The day proceeded with the continuation of this process, loading and unloading the kiln and the smoke-filled buckets. We witnessed the most amazing transformation when the pots were taken out of the buckets once they had cooled down slightly, and the results were completely unexpected. They looked like lost treasures emerging from ash and smoke, with the glaze peeling off to show a unique beauty only Raku can achieve. The satisfaction of hosing them down, hearing the sizzle and scrubbing them to reveal the gleaming surface is indescribable.
At noon, we enjoyed a little break from the smoke and sat down to try our hands in making clay fish. Kevin had some great stories to share and it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Finally, after all the colour glazed pots were scrubbed and admired, our work from the day was lined up and everyone became paparazzi for a moment. It was such a great moment to appreciate how unique each pot was, and how drastically they all had transformed since the morning.
My favourite part of Raku firing is the contrast between technicalities and complete unexpectedness. It’s alchemy with an element of surprise. Overall, it was such a fun day and I look forward to another workshop!

Haoyi Li, Student