Year-long renovation project with Shangjiu ceramic workshop 2017年上九陶瓷工作室改造记录

先放几张上九陶瓷的茶器作品，然后咱们慢慢看工作室的改造记录吧！

let me first drop some Shangjiu ceramics workshop's ceramic creations, then we can start on the renovation project.

上九2017年工作室改造回顾

2017年初，我们站在江西景德镇，三宝村山谷中一栋三层楼的民居面前。

Year-long​ renovation project with Shangjiu ceramic workshop

In the beginning​ of 2017, we stood in front of an​ ordinary country house located in a deep mountain valley​ of Jingdezhen​ China.

“你看这里是三宝村36号，正好又是个上坡。3+6不正好就是9么，上坡的9，看来上九非此地不可了！”

The street number sounds just​ like the workshop's name "Shangjiu" in Chinese. We thought, "this place gotta be it!"

前院除了巨大的水泥停车场，还有一小块菜地和土厕所。
室内几乎没有装修，后院是一个没有围墙的菜地。

The front yard apart from the spacious concrete emptiness also contains a small vegetable​ garden, an old-fashioned toilet​.

Interior is minimal​ to almost nothing, the backyard has no walls around it.

景德镇，三宝山谷，鸟瞰。

Jingdezhen，China， Sanbao valley overlook.

至于上九为什么来三宝村，我们也没有明确的答案。
以前待的地方，没三宝漂亮。
这个理由还不够么？

但我们一直相信，环境会影响个体，个体创造了器物，
最后器物又行走到天涯四处，继续影响着环境。

所以工作室的舒服与否，直接影响着器物本身的气质。

As for the reason to move to sanbao valley, we don't have a clear answer.​
This new place is quiet​ and beautiful​, that is more than enough for us.

We as a ceramic workshop, deeply believed​ in the idea of the environment surrounds the craftsmen​, can produce the great impact on the creations. Later the porcelain will travel to other people's home and continue to influence the environment where it's at.

Therefore the location and surroundings of the workshop are extremely important ​because the work we produce can ultimately reflex that.

把外墙刷层白色，同高岭土一样的白。

四周又环绕着各种树木枝叶，就像是草木灰贴合在高岭土白胎之上。

来自山野，制于白墙内。

The wall got painted​ in white, just like the kaolin clay. Surrounded​ by trees and plants,​ ​just like the plant's​ ashes glaze we covered​ on the porcelain.

装修需要帮忙就麻烦下邻居大爷。

一个小推车，不急不忙地铺碎青石。

他老是说 “你这里装修的好，干净”

When we need a help of hand, we always ask our local neighbours.
The old village guy brings his trolley and slowly paves the​ front yard with gravel​ stones.

He always says "your workshop is decorated nicely, clean and simple"

转眼夏天，荷叶看着舒服极了。狗子慢慢长大，两只猫互相打闹。

Suddenly summer showed up, the lotus grows peacefully.
workshop's dog grows quickly.
two cats fight​ non-stop.

二楼的阳台暴雨过后总是积水，现在我们把平台修好了，但再也拍不到镜面般的山谷。

Balcony from the second floor had a problem of collecting water. we finally​ fix the problem yet the mirror of the valley can be no longer seen.

工作间我们总是尝试做到最干净，但有时偷偷懒也挺好的。
做陶瓷的干嘛藏着掖着？
器物经过高温，任何不洁都烟飞灰灭了，过程多点灰尘也没事。

Inside the studio, ​we try our best to keep it dust free, however being lazy sometimes​ is fine.
pottery​ itself​ cannot be clean, it is a dirty​ job right?

when clay turns into porcelain​ through extreme temperature​, any dust or impure​ are gone for good.

不需要一般的展柜，因为展示的是不一般的陶瓷。
自己设计一下，做一个能展开收起的展架吧。

展开了不就是孔雀开屏了么？
反正上面也都是“孔雀釉陶瓷”

No need for an ordinary display shelf, so we designed​ and built our own.
All the levels can rotate to where they fancy.

一年时间很快，
从租好房子，挪动窑炉，设计装修，
磨磨蹭蹭也做了一年，
一年的器物作品大家都能在网上随时查看，
但工作室的落地，除了年终这个契机，
平时能看到的机会就不多了。

每天几个年轻人，在一道山谷中的白房子里，
琢磨自己喜欢又让自己烦恼的事。
用手，用心，用灵魂。

一年中的作品，
更像是一年中，工作室环境的改变，
利用我们为媒介，最终传递到器物上来。

我们在别处的作品，
肯定不同于在三宝村36号的作品。

也只有这个独特的白房子，
才造就了上九的一瓢釉，一只胎，一碗，一盏。

One year passed rather quickly, from renting the house, moving all the types of equipment​, design and renovate.
Bits and blocks finally came together as a whole.
Our pottery creations were​ posted on Instagram regularly, yet the progress of the renovation wasn's showed to the public as frequently​.

Every day​,5 young people in their 20s, in a white house deep inside a valley.
Concentrated and inspired.
With their​ hands, hearts, and souls.

All of the products we created from 2017 ​are more like the environment at large got transferred​ through us and finally presented on to our teacups​.

If we have done the same thing in other places, I am sure the result will look quite different.

Only because of this unique white house, we can do what we love the most and continue to grow as young Chinese craftsmen.

可能这样才完整吧，
到达手中的茶碗，
小小的半球形空间里，
最终倒影出来景德镇三宝村中，
一栋白房子的心。

Maybe this is what complete looks like.
When the cups you ordered finally came to your hand.
In this tiny cup shape object.
Untimely reflex the heart of a white house hidden inside the valley.

各位，我们明年再见。

Goodbye the year of chicken​, we will see you after Chinese new year!

​

PS. English isn't my native language​ if you could correct my grammar and spelling down in​ the comment section that would be amazing​!

Find me on Instagram​ @jeffreysxy https://www.instagram.com/jeffreysxy/
Find Shangjiu ceramics workshop on Instagram​ @shangjiuceramics https://www.instagram.com/shangjiuceramics/