White River
Arita Project
Exchange program at Saga University, Arita Campus, Japan.
Learning about porcelain and production of artistic pieces in Japan.
Final “snow flakes” pieces back in their context.
Arita, Japan. 
Map of Arita. 
Arita’s unique gate, Tōzan Shrine.
Arita earned its reputation thanks to the porcelain industry that started there in 1616.
From that year on, the habitants developed an important craftsmanship around porcelain and the colored glazed patterns, especially with blue ones.
Inspiration :
From the Edo period untill 100 years ago, the craftsmen used to throw the imperfect pieces down the river or just a bit further from the kilns. It is something very special from the Hizen district as the porcelain got developed mainly there. Therefore it is possible to find pieces that can be 400 years old down in the river. Studying them and building an archive about it helped Céline to relate with the Japanese culture and her new environment.
The river close the Saikoji Shinto Temple. 
Treasures in the riverbed.
Small collection of the pieces found in the riverbed. 
Little lid with snow flake patterns.
Snow flake pattern. 
Simplified snow pattern. 
Geometric snow pattern.
This little lid attracted Céline’s attention and she decided to focus on its specific pattern. Then she decided to extrude the shape and see the different possibilities.
Process :
Mold making. 
8 parts mold.
Part of the glazing process. 
Loading the kiln. 
Just out of the kiln.
As her first inspiration came from the river, to close the loop she chose to put her small pieces in it.
The snow flake patterns stands for happiness in the Japanese culture.
During the Edo period, if it was snowing during winter, then there was no need to fight for the water in spring and the farmers got happy thanks to the snow.
Céline considers her pieces as water containers, and she wants them to be part of the landscape of Arita, where everything has started for her exchange.
Arita project-Snow flakes.2017