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Ayhunbu Lorin (L) and Robert James at their stall at the Bamboo Pavillion in Kisama.[/caption]
Alice Yhoshü
Kisama, Dec. 2 (EMN): “Where are these from?”; “What are these made of?”; “Who made these?”; are some of the frequently-asked questions by visitors to stall 39 at the Bamboo Pavilion at Kisama, the venue of the ongoing Hornbill Festival.
‘These’ here, refer to clay-ware crafted by two young Dimapur-based Rengma artists Ayhunbu Lorin and Robert James. Their creations—emphasizing on utility as well as artistic design—include mugs, plates, serving bowls, vases, decorative pieces and sculptures.
Pottery is one of humanity’s oldest vocations. But for the two artists, they admit that their work is still at an initial stage. Yet they are also daring to look toward challenging conventions—looking at pottery as something that can be much more than a utility—as a form of artistic expression.
Ayhunbu and Robert have completed their master’s in fine arts from Santiniketan in West Bengal; the former in ceramics and the latter in sculpture. Combining their specialties, the two youths have recently opened a studio at 5th Mile in Dimapur near Tetso College. They are trying to create a market for their products.
Talking to Eastern Mirror from their stall at Kisama on Dec. 2, Robert, the elder of the duo, explained how they craft their products from local clay: first filter the clay, form the ceramic body into objects for the required shape and heat them in a kiln till they are leather-hard. Following this, he said necessary trimming on the wheel and attachments are done. After that, they are fired or baked. Their products come with and without glaze.
The artists informed that currently their goods are not ‘flameware’ and cannot be used for cooking over fire but can be used to serve hot food or drinks. “We hope to progress into flameware products in the near future,” Ayhunbu said.
When queried if they had an outlet for their products, they stated that they were still ‘self-experimenting’ and only take a few orders that come to their studio.
Besides pottery, Ayhunbu and Robert also create sculptures. Their latest artwork comes in the form of ‘environmental Naga house’—they have sculpted traditional figures with typical Naga kitchen / house-ware. This was set up at the Raj Bhavan in the governor’s front lawn and was inaugurated by none other than the President of India Ram Nath Kovind on Dec. 1.
