Use of the Kickwheel: Passion and Frustration

Tags

College Credits, Kickwheel, Study abroad, thowing

 

 

 

 

 

Currently we are hosting a great group of young students from APSU, Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, led by Professor Ken Shipley.

Shipley is a thrower, and is teaching his group really well. Some of the students have decided to take up the challenge and use a kick wheel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here the comments of the students:

Karla: “I have seen and tried a kickwheel before, but it was  heavier  and I got frustrated.  Here instead of getting me into frustration it feels more of a meditation. It helps to be in Italy, relax, look out of the window, see the beautiful hills. Kicking the wheel is giving me that  pleasure, it is not only like I work with clay, but be part of it. I do consider to get a kickwheel at home, it is much more affordable. But then, what will I say? I wanna go out and throw? Or, I wanna go out and kick!”

Teja, assistant from Slovenia “My first meeting with a kickwheel was very traumatic! I was 12 years old and a beginner. After one year of learning I quit. When I got back to a kickwheel after 4 years, suddenly I could center easily, and was much better than the rest of the group.”

Savannah “ The first time I used a kickwheel, I did not enjoy it, because I was not prepared mentally, I was impatient. The rhythm that you have to find with your body helps you to find peace and truth and balance.”

Svend Bayer on one of his kickwheel

 

 

A potter who production throws exclusively on kickwheels ( He owns three of them). Svend Bayer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nde51XQEXcA

The Victorian Wheel. Very hard to control.

 

 

 

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• At the movies! From Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Western to Robert Benigni’s La Vita è Bella

Tags

movie night, Roberto Benigni, Sergio Leone, Spaghetti Western

Tepid evenings on the terrace with a good glass of wine. Plenty of good conversations. Pizza. And the movie night.
As the workshop days come to an end, there is a cornucopia of pleasures to enjoy at La Meridiana. It’s part of the experience for our students to forge new friendships, exchange ideas and experiences in the generous way that is so typical in the ceramic world. Without the relaxing and fun moments that wrap up the clay activity the workshop would not be complete.

Movies have the power to take you to another world. And they can also tell you so much about the culture of the country you are visiting. That’s why we keep a Italian selection of movies, from Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Western to Robert Benigni’s Oscar winning La Vita è Bella (Life is Beautiful) alongside some all-time runners for fun and relax.

A young Clint Eastwood in Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Western

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A selection to be updated with your recommended visions!

 

This is a simple story, yet it is not easy to tell it.
Guido Orefice (Roberto Benigni) in Life is beautiful

 

 

 

What’s new in Florence?

Tags

a day in florence, beer, cappuccino, cheese, chocolate, fine food, firenze, food market, fresh food, gelato, juice, mercatocentrale, mozzarella, san lorenzo, traditional food, wine

The historical food market in Florence has been remodeled, to meet an ever popular demand, among Florentines as well as among tourists: Access to freshly prepared quality food.
The upper floor of the beautiful Liberty style building that serves as the central distributer of quality food since it’s opening in 1874 has now food stalls that serve freshly prepared goodies: Pizza, mozzarella, fresh bread

and pastry, fried fish and vegetables, cured meet, cheeses, chocolate and gelato. You can wander among the stands and pick your preferred food to eat right there, and you will see how it’s prepared, at the minute! Drinks? Of course: cappuccino, wine, beer, smoothies and juices! To complement the offer: a Cooking school, a library, a wine tasting bar with sommelier and a section of Eataly with natural beauty products.

Mercato di San Lorenzo: it’s open since two weeks only, and already a favorite evening destination for Florentines. Go out see who is around, be seen…A tip: Visit in the morning, when it’s not so crowded. You will be able to appreciate everything with more leisure. The fine food, the lively bakers, cheesemakers and other food specialists at work, the architecture and the décor.
More details here:
http://www.mercatocentrale.it/en/