ISATU HYDE | THE POTS THAT REALLY SING
Isa at work in her Shropshire studio, wearing her Francli Potters Apron in ‘Sienna’.
A first-time exhibitor at The Leach Pottery 06 May - 02 July 2023.
Discover The Potters Apron
From her rural Herefordshire workshop Isatu Hyde specialises in individual and batch wheel thrown ceramics. With a unique layering of influences from neolithic pottery to the organic details of nature she creates elegant tableware and cookware that are useful, erudite and enduring.
A few days before the opening of her exhibition ‘Beauty Rooted in Use’ at the prestigious Leach Pottery, we caught Isa in between firings. To discover how she cultivates harmony in both the presence of her pots and her evolution as a potter.
When are you most calm?
On a Sunday morning with family.
When are you most excited?
When I’m about to see my daughter Grace and partner Kai.
When are you most angry?
Social injustice. Littering and poor waste management.
When are you most inspired?
On a walk. Diving into natural textures, colours and detail.
You draw on many influences from the past. From 650bc Protocorinthian bottles to Liao dynasty vessels. What is the common thread across these eras and continents that speaks to you?
I’m particularly interested in pre-industrialisation, or before the confusion of larger global interaction. Human creative output before mass cross-cultural influence. Sometimes I find a chaos in contemporary design, but the pre 4000bc pots I’m drawn to have a lot less chatter. A purer expression of the human condition - an intelligent animal response to the natural environment. Based on small scale social interaction, functionality and simplicity.
There’s a beautiful film called Aluna - I think you can find it on YouTube. It’s about the indigenous Kogi people in northern Columbia who keep themselves completely cut off. ‘Aluna’ is the shared consciousness that is the source of all life. And they believe with each generation you get further from the truth.
That reminds me of the response and excitement I feel when standing in the natural environment. My work is trying to get back to this original truth. To primal simplicity.
Your work often exists in the space between contrasts. Sharp and soft, minimal and decorative, delicate and weighty. How do you balance these dualities?
Both my parents have practised Tai Chi for over 30 years. So I grew up with a lot of conversation around internal martial art. My teacher Andrew Crouch has also been practising for over 40 years and the philosophy is embedded in his work. He’s had a great influence on me.
My work is always exploring when to be hard and when to be soft. You can’t have more than one or the other to achieve elegance. This relates to each individual piece, and also the collection as a whole.
Recently I have been leaning more into my femininity. Detaching myself from my time as apprentice and potter with Andrew, who is normally more masculine.
Was this transition difficult?
Yes it was certainly hard. There is hero worship there and his work is so concluded - because after 40 years of practise his work can be. It’s hard to argue with that.
But now I am enjoying the process of relaxing into my own artistry and expression. Finding confidence and satisfaction with my technical abilities.
What has given you this confidence?
Recognising how people respond to my work is really powerful. Having consistent, positive feedback. I’m always looking to improve so it’s easy to fall into self criticism. It’s the state of a craftsperson to do better. So hearing these things from people is really quite special.
‘It’s the state of a craftsperson to do better’ - that’s kind of perfect.
Yeah, it’s best thing and the worst thing…
I love throwing and forming, it’s an elastic process with no specification. I love that. The glazing is also a beautiful process - although sometimes it can go get lost.
Then there’s the firing. I find it very unintuitive. You have to be exact and take notes. I don’t learn from my mistakes - I make them, then I make them again. Each time is slightly better and I just have to roll with it.
I’ve got this all singing, all dancing high spec kiln but now I’ve stripped it all back to just two gas burners. Instead I time it with sight and smell and sound. Right now I’m watching the flames with a mirror. I listen to the gas burners and trust I can feel and judge the moment.
I’ve had to make it a more intuitive process. The exactness just isn’t how I work. No matter how hard I try, I can’t engage with it that way. My work has to follow how I function, and I’m simple minded. It’s all part of learning about myself and expressing it.
The pots that really sing are the ones that truly express the potter. Undeniably.
Isatu Hyde: Beauty Rooted in Use at The Leach Pottery
06 May - 02 July 2023
Film photography by Tor Harrison