Laura Johanna König

Porcelain maker

Exploring a culturally and emotionally charged material

Laura Johanna regularly takes part in artistic residencies in Arita, in Japan
She creates objects with metafunctional qualities
She is passionate about mould making and slip casting

Laura Johanna König has a multifaceted background in porcelain, having studied it in different contexts, from design to art to research, and in different countries, from Germany and Sweden, to Japan, Thailand and the UK. Being a very sensitive artist, her works vary greatly depending on the country in which she works. "My research spans different disciplines such as psychology, history and alchemy, leading me to create objects with metafunctional qualities," says Laura Johanna. After the Covid pandemic, she made use of the capabilities of porcelain to artistically research the phenomenon of skin hunger. Moreover, being fascinated by alchemy, Laura Johanna experiments with the comforting capacities of objects, which serve the user with interpretations of care and energy. She is based in the UK but when the circumstances allow it, she goes to work in Arita, the cradle of Japanese porcelain.

Interview

What was the first object you made?: My first little series was a project on Shape Memory. Porcelain is a very sensitive material, especially when it is soft. It ‘remembers’ all deformations it experiences, and these will become visible after high-firing. I broke and then repaired soft vessels with liquid porcelain so that the little scars and healed wounds would show in the final objects.
How do you express tradition and innovation in your work?: Tradition is in my technique, innovation in the output. My work is exclusively analogue and old-school. Pen, paper, plaster and hand-held tools. My projects require research on different disciplines, such as psychology, histology and history. This is my current interest and might change again!
In what way is your craft linked to the territory?: I identify a variety of territories in my practice. One is the material: porcelain from Japan has different qualities to the material I can purchase in the UK. Another is the visual cultural landscape and the influence of aesthetic styles on my work. Finally, another form of territory is the artistic discipline. My primary technique is slip-casting which leads to both functional vessels and art objects.
What are your sources of inspiration?: The material itself. Porcelain embodies and contains so many exciting dualisms. I love the clash of fragility and delicateness with strength and sterileness. Such co-existing contrasts have always fascinated me, and merging dualisms in one project is a great source of ideas for me.

Laura Johanna König is an expert artisan she began her career in 2013