Pedro Galdón

Ceramicist

©Pedro Galdón

Architectural ceramics

Pedro began by designing plates
He masters the wheel and slab building techniques
The titles of his works are inspired by novels he has read

Pedro Galdón's work could be defined as a combination of various disciplines – sculpture, architecture and pottery. He explores the limits of clay's plasticity, seeking an architectural geometry in ceramic material. For him, clay is a malleable and difficult material to work with because it requires a lot of technique and long, precise processes to achieve a perfect finish. Pedro's beginnings as a ceramicist date back to 2012. "That year I started buying ceramic magazines and watching ceramic technique tutorials. I also signed up for a course at the municipal school of Irún. This was the trigger because I felt that I was good at it and could take one more step in my future career." Pedro is halfway between Spain and France, in the Basque country, where he runs a couple of workshops and divides his time between Irún and Hendaye.

Interview

©Pedro Galdón

©Pedro Galdón

Was there a turning point in your life that led you to choose this craft?: I love design. In fact, I started by designing tableware for restaurants, but realised that I needed to reduce the turnaround time for customers and translate my ideas into reality more quickly. I needed to work with my hands and be involved in the entire process. Ceramics captivated me from my first course at the municipal school of Irún.
How has architecture influenced the creation of your pieces?: I carry out volumetric experimentation by mixing architecture, sculpture, and pottery, with the development of micro-architectures being the most expressive part of my pieces. I am very interested in vernacular architecture and furniture design.
How do you apply that to ceramics?: I begin my volumetric experiments by taking the molecular tension of the clay to apply morphological and geometric transformation of the plane. I define my work as architectural ceramics.
Do you believe that creative freedom should have limits?: There are limits that are the kiln and the material itself. At the same time, these allow the imagination to develop and can represent a form of freedom. Process and development with clay are what attract me the most to this profession.

Pedro Galdón is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2010