Embroidered ceramics
- Doriana is the fifth generation of her family to make Sardinian pottery
- She is very skilled at the potter’s wheel
- Sardinian identity is her main inspiration
A highly skilled ceramicist, Doriana Usai runs her workshop in Assemini, a centre for renowned pottery production in Sardinia. Her family has made history of this craft for at least five generations. She attended prestigious courses in Faenza, Montelupo Fiorentino, Deruta and graduated in design before returning to her hometown. An experienced potter, she is one of the very few women pursuing this craft. She is very proud to have won the World Championship of wheel turning. Doriana blends Sardinian traditional techniques and patterns, family craftsmanship and her personal vision, creating sophisticated objects, such as home furnishings, jugs, lamps, vases, jewellery, centrepieces. Her production stands out for original elegance, while enhancing Sardinian identity.
Interview
- What is your relationship with tradition?
- I feel responsible for our Sardinian cultural tradition. I am a depositary of at least five-generations of family knowledge that I have a duty to preserve and transmit. I love any cultural expression of my island: arts, folk dance, cooking.
- How can you bring a personal twist to such an ancient path?
- There is a dialectic connection between tradition and originality, roots and innovation. I’ve always taken what I’ve learned from my parents over the years and combined it with my own research and studies. One can never stop studying, there is so much more to absorb.
- What is your most original feature?
- I “embroider” the surfaces of some of my objects, like in the Sardinian pastry-making, which is unique. Also, I create new shapes, using traditional techniques. But my most original and challenging products are my small women in folk costumes.
- Do you think your craft is in danger today?
- Yes. This is the moment to train young apprentices and also to bring children and teenagers up into this great visual and material tradition. To those who’d like to choose my job, I’d like to tell them to keep their eyes wide open and be passionate.
Doriana Usai is a master artisan: she began her career in 1998 and she started teaching in 2003
Works
Where
Doriana Usai
