Wonky

Last week at our monthly West Forest Potters Guild meeting, guest Louisa Taylor demonstrated how to throw a pot using an angled bat. That is in effect puts the Potter's Wheel is at an angle of say 10 or 20 degrees, rather than being the usual horizontal.

Once the clay is centred on the bat, the idea is you can then throw a pot in the normal manner. The outcome of this is a) you learn not to rest your hands on the wheel head and b) the finished pot is beautifully thrown but leans at a pleasing angle.

Here's a couple of images of Louisa demonstrating the technique:

A wad of clay (seen on the left) is used to prop one side of the bat, while Louisa throws a cylinder.

Louisa proudly displays her leaning pot.
















And here's my own humble attempt from last night:

My leaning open bowl.












I threw two pots last night which are now drying and hopefully next week I can work on the bases before sending for bisque firing. It's pretty hard work I can tell you: the surface of the bat moves up and down at a disconcerting speed, while the wheel is rotating.

As always, once they are completed I will post some images here and also on Webshots. These will likely be the last pots I work on for some time- the college term ends in a couple of weeks and due to lack of employment (therefore lack of funds) I'm taking a break. Fingers crossed I get to finish on high note.

Survival

Last weekend I went to a cinema complex in northern Bangkok - ten minutes walk from my accommodation - to see "127 Hours". Directed by Danny Boyle, the film tells the story of a few days in 2003, when a young American outdoor enthusiast called Aron Ralston was exploring Blue John Canyon in a remote part of Utah. Accidentally, he tumbled down a crevice in the rocks where his right arm became trapped by a large rock he had dislodged.

As the hours and then the days pass by, Aron becomes more and more desperate to escape from this unfortunate situation. He sees visions of his family and of himself when he was a little boy. His water canister is empty. What can he do? Gradually, the inevitable dawns upon him - he must sever his arm with a useless Chinese knife his mother bought him for Christmas or he will die.

Ralston's part is played brilliantly by James Franco. In some senses, the tale might seem difficult to transfer to a movie format but Danny Boyle's creative vision is gripping, enhanced by wonderful cinematography and sound. At its heart there is the true life story of a man whose eagerness to live gave him the strength to administer a self-amputation without anaesthetic. Perhaps we might conclude that the moral of the film is that where there is a will there is a way. No matter how awful the circumstances, if you really want to survive you will find a way.

However, that same day we all heard about the dreadful events in northeastern Japan. I very much doubt that any of the thousands who have died there would have been able to relate to the possible moral conclusion of "127 Hours". When a tsunmai or a powerful earthquake come to get you, your hopes and dreams shrink into nothingness and there is no escape. As George Alagiah said on the BBC World News - the events in Japan remind us how ultimately flimsy and fragile is this "advanced" technological world that we have created.

But for me "127 Hours" was a super film and if you like that sort of tale, I would thoroughly recommend it.

Worlds Update

Apologies for the lack of posts, being a full time medical student can often get in the way of blogging.

The ISU decided Monday to postpone the World Championshis until further notice. There is much debate and no firm decisions yet on what the final outcome will be.

The ISU has 3 choices

• To cancel the event outright - this removes the pressure from a distressed Japan but also denies huge numbers of skaters the chance to compete at Worlds (for some this may be their only chance)
• To postpone the event - The infrastructure is still in place but the people of Tokyo have more on their plate at the moment. Plus this adds pressure to skaters to stay in top form for longer, there is only so long the event can be put off for. There has been some mention of hosting the event in October (this would be close to the Gymnastics worlds, which are also slated to take place in Tokyo.
• To move the event elsewhere, there have been offers from several countries (reportedly the US, Italy and South Korea) The ISU hasn't seemed so keen on this idea so far, and the logistics of arranging an event like worlds at short notice are huge.

Whatever the decision is, it should be made sooner rather than later.

Also in skating news, Italians Faiella & Scali have announced their retirement after a season full of injuries. They are long-time rivals of Brits Sinead and John Kerr who had withdrawn from worlds with Sinead's persistent shoulder problems, but with the event postponed, the door could be slightly open.