Mary Yamakawa

A.terra Studio

Ceramicist

©Rodrigo Parobé

Materialising spontaneity with clay

Mary’s fascination for ceramics started as a pure desire to experiment
She sees beauty in imperfections and spontaneity
Ceramics allow her to explore all her creative curiosities, from lamp design to jewellery making

A.terra Studio is run by Mary Yamakawa, who navigated the business world before finding a fascination in ceramics. She draws parallels between processes with clay and her ways of understanding the world. Mary graduated in architecture and urbanism, and during her studies felt a deep connection with materials and a strong desire to work with her hands. Tired of the digital world, she decided to choose an 'analogue' craft to create a more human world in which people could feel connected to a story and to the person behind an object. Mary's spontaneous design process is based on daily needs, but also on art, colour and textures. Mary produces her pieces by drawing sketches before hand-building with clay.

Interview

©Rodrigo Parobé

©Rodrigo Parobé

In which way is your craft linked to the territory?: Brazilian ceramics have an indigenous origin and tell a story about how a people lived. The techniques used in the past are still alive in the way I make my pieces. Today, we have more technology, and the fact that I draw also speaks to contemporaneity, but many of the techniques I use are centuries-old.
What steps are involved in your creative process?: My creative process is a reflection of my current experiences. I feed on art references, literature, travels and conversations – and unintentionally all these experiences culminate in my production. Some choices or themes are recurrent out of a pure desire to experiment. For example, my lamps reflect all the fascination I have for light since childhood.
What does 'well made' mean to you?: Well made, for me, is a deconstructed concept of 'perfect'. In my work it can mean the unfinished or imperfect. When I make a piece and then try to reproduce it there are always some small – or big – changes. The drawing is not static, it is an expression of my path materialised in my pieces.
What do you love most about being a ceramicist?: I discovered that I can be almost anything I want to be as a ceramicist. When I make lamps, I have the opportunity to be a lighting designer and electrician. When I make vases, I can be an interior architect. When I make rings, I can be a jeweller. I love the playful side that ceramics has given me.

Mary Yamakawa is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2000