9X hopes to bring sunshine to the ancient Lai Thieu pottery village

Huynh Xuan Huynh with products at Lai Thieu pottery kiln - Photo: NVCC

In the memory of Huynh Xuan Huynh - a friend born and raised in Giong Rieng district (Kien Giang), a warm family meal cannot be without sets of ancient ceramic dishes with traditional motifs.

The older he got, the guy born in 1998 realized that his hometown market hardly sold such dishes anymore. When he first came to Saigon to study at university, Huynh tried to find them but was disappointed again because many places shook their heads when he asked.

Concerns about ancient Lai Thieu pottery

One time, Huynh accidentally bought some bowls at Ong Lanh bridge. When he asked about the origin, the seller said they were Lai Thieu pottery, so Huynh decided to go down there. Unlike his imagination of a pottery village, when he got there, he could hardly see any kilns. After asking for a while, the locals directed Huynh to Tan Uyen area and Bung market.

There are still a few kilns, but instead of making all kinds of products, each place only makes one particular product such as cups or bowls, plates. And the old cup models such as the Immortal Cup, the Bamboo Forest Seven Sages Cup are made quite roughly.

It is said that the bowls are not used for eating but are bought and broken into pieces for mosaic inlay! A little regret for the traditional ceramic line of the Southern people. Is it possible to revive this pottery craft that is gradually falling into oblivion? That thought suddenly flashed through Huynh's mind.

Why Nắng Ceramics? Xuân Huỳnh laughed, saying that the day he visited the pottery kiln to learn how to draw patterns, the weather was not sunny. He waited until 2pm, but the craftsman did not come to the kiln because the pottery was not dry yet, so he could not draw. It turns out that in addition to the elements of earth, fire, and wind, sunlight is extremely important to the traditional pottery profession.

"I decided to name it Nắng, which can also be understood as freshness, a new beginning for an old craft village" - Huynh said.

Xuan Huynh studied industrial design and was taught cooking by his family, so he has certain standards when it comes to food presentation. He can talk endlessly about the sophistication of a country dish. For example, grilled snakehead fish must be served with banana leaves to bring out the color and flavor, or sour soup has many different types, when cooked with sesbania flowers, lotus flowers, and water spinach, it must be seasoned with different spices.

"The virtual plate will be used for bland braised dishes that have a lot of water to dip vegetables in. The bowl for bun rieu needs to have higher sides to retain heat, while the bowl for bun mam needs to be flatter to radiate heat, release aroma and add more vegetables to eat with" - Huynh said like an expert.

When you are truly passionate, you will find every way to achieve your dream, even putting in more effort than others.

HUYNH XUAN HUYNH

Hope to join hands to restore the pottery profession

Currently, Xuan Huynh's products are mainly bowls, cups, plates for serving on the dining table, along with decorative products such as rice jars, flower vases, and jam trays that are both decorative and convenient to use. He carefully studies traditional patterns, combining them rather than copying the original, and also exploring new patterns.

Nắng’s group of painters are mainly Gen Z people who share a passion for traditional culture and want to restore old values ​​in a more creative way. When faced with a design task or a pattern, they often transform or add their own personality, creating products with a more youthful and fresh style. In the group, there is a person from the North who created the daisy pattern on the product.

Traditional patterns that are in line with current trends will be retained. At the same time, new enamel colors such as light-plated and blue will be found to make the products suitable for families with modern architecture.

The four older traditional craftsmen of Nắng take on special stages such as shaping the product, dipping the glaze or arranging the kiln. They have the advantage of traditional techniques, helping to create handmade products that are typical of Lai Thieu pottery instead of giving an "industrial" feel or being confused with other types of pottery.

Xuan Huynh also has the ambition to spread the beauty of Vietnamese ceramics to international tourists, so he designs unique shapes for Vietnamese and foreign customers. Each product is completely handmade, hand-painted and fired by firewood. Many people recommend replacing it with a gas kiln, but the firewood kiln is a very special feature of Lai Thieu ceramics. That is a traditional value that must be preserved.

Handcrafted products stand out for their soul in every line, instead of creating products with industrial uniformity. And they are promoted at various events, including art exhibitions.

"I also think of workshops right at the pottery kiln to help visitors experience what a day at a traditional Lai Thieu pottery kiln would be like," Huynh said.

Expect local support

There were many difficulties when Huynh started this project. As a traditional ceramic line, although creating new designs during the design process, he was forced to adhere to the principles, not letting the product go beyond the boundaries of Lai Thieu ceramics.

In the early stages, there was no outlet for the product, until the group turned to social media advertising. Now, Nắng Ceramics has reached customers more easily on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram or TikTok.

What makes Huynh worried is that the design is copied, the price is lowered, leading to a decrease in product quality and causing consumers to turn their backs, the craft of handmade pottery is in decline. Many traditional families do the craft, but now none of their children follow in their footsteps because of the hardship, while Binh Duong pottery is suitable for developing traditional tourism like Bat Trang pottery village.

"Local support is needed for traditional pottery makers to confidently develop. Not to mention the need to unite instead of stepping on each other's toes or competing unfairly, which will further degrade the craft village," Huynh shared.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/9x-mong-mang-nang-ve-lang-gom-lai-thieu-xua-202406190908181.htm