First book edited by Innovando la Tradición
This first book, written by Eric Mindling with a prologue by Gustavo Perezis a panoramic view of traditional pottery in over sixty-five communities of Oaxaca.
Fire and Clay pays homage to the wisdom of the potters and is a journey into the depths of this ancient art. Mindling explains the knowledge in traditional pottery, its economic, social and cultural importance, provides tools to understand and value this trade in all its complexity.
with photos of Paris Barrera, the book shows the diversity and beauty of traditional pottery in Oaxaca and its context, and includes a travel guide to visit the communities.
Pottery has been an essential element in the life of Oaxacans since the times of the first Zapotecs. Crafted by the hands of skilled artisans since 1,900 BC, it continues to be made by indigenous artisans throughout the state. The dynamic heritage of this rural art is one of Oaxaca's great treasures. It is a living link to four millennia of history and the embodiment of two hundred generations of design, ecological practices and indigenous knowledge. However, even in Oaxaca, this pottery is almost unknown and the potters are invisible.
Fire and Clay offers us a pioneering perspective on this ancient trade and the people who work it. For the first time, the rich and diverse world of Oaxacan pottery is presented. This book covers the lives and work of some four thousand potters in sixty-eight towns, where they are spoken ten languages. It also examines the evolution of ceramics from the first pieces that were imitations of bules, to the work of today's potters who adapt to a constantly changing world. The book also demonstrates how this apparently simple and rustic pottery is in fact a model of wise design. Not only in the shape and consistency of a pot or pitcher, but also in the way that the creation of this pottery works in balance with the environment and the social environment of the potters.
We are not aware of recent books that address this important field of Mexican art, even less from the perspective that is proposed, so it has become an obligatory reference. From the research work, a unique collection was put together that includes pieces collected in almost all regions of the state. This collection makes up an exposition that accompanies the book and that has been exhibited in different spaces in recent years.
There are practically no books on Oaxacan pottery, so this book fills an important gap and provides us with interpretation tools to assess pottery activity in all its complexity: the great diversity of morphological typologies, the exquisite functionality of the pieces and the intelligent simplicity of his designs. In it, the different production processes are commented step by step. The ancient ways and ethics of working, which today we call sustainable, and the socio-economic contexts from which they arise are explained.
Finally, it deals with how the life of the potters is changing and the challenges that modernity poses. This book is testimony to the way of life of forgotten or underappreciated teachers. Celebrate those artisans with simple tools and skilled hands, acrobats of flames, boiling smoke, and sweaty knowledge.
