Aesthetics of emptiness
- Sung Hyeoun has been creating moon jars since the early 2000s
- He works at the potter's wheel with traditional techniques
- He preserves the classic moon jar shape and adds a modern charm
To Sung Hyeoun Cho, the moon jar is the best art you can make with a potter’s wheel. "It is not easy to make the shape of a large round jar while also saving the shape of the full moon from collapsing in the high temperature of the kiln," he explains. It requires great skill, devotion, and luck. Sung Hyeoun started training as a ceramicist when he was a teenager. He has a hearing impairment and so being a craftsman in a calm atmosphere and working by himself from start to finish suits him very well. Even though it can be lonely and tiring, he says he feels secure while creating. Now Sung Hyeoun runs a ceramic studio called SOSOYO with his wife. 'Sosoyo' means 'small and simple atelier'. It also contains the meaning of always fundamentally cherishing the little things in life.
INTERVIEW
I have been deeply interested in continuing the style of traditional ceramics, so I often go to museums to observe old Korean potteries. In particular, the moon jar is attractive for its simplicity and completeness, in which everything is removed until there is nothing more to remove.
I think it is a combination of modern interpretations. I am trying to create and introduce experimental works without compromising the original beauty. Like a travel-size mini moon jar, I offer something easy to collect by anyone.
The process of coming up with the idea and then making it come to life on a wheel is the most enjoyable. Wheel moulding and shaping make up about a third of the total work process, and then there is drying, trimming, glazing, and two or three firings in the kiln.
I think today is an era in which it is necessary to promote and brand yourself, and there are many ways for individuals to make it happen. It is not an easy profession, but new artists know how to reach the wider public, such as by making full use of social media.
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