Lisa Konno and Simone Post selected for Arita residency

4 December 2019

selection
Lisa Konno would like to investigate the ritual function of tableware and link it to clothing. Traditions and customs create a sense of purpose, a sense of belonging and familiarity. Lisa Konno is inspired by rituals that create a dialogue between clothing, porcelain and food, such as a tea ceremony or Christmas dinner. Based on this, she will design a modern, personal ritual. The focus is on craftsmanship and revaluation.

At Cor Unum, Simone Post is currently working on a study into tactility in ceramics. She utilizes the fluidity of clay. The material is formed in a wet state as if it were a textile, stretching its static boundaries. She will use the resulting language of form as a starting point for her research in Arita, which is based on colour and glaze and the way in which these two react to each other and mix together.

evaluation
The applications received in response to the open call ranged from highly technical to more Japan-oriented, such as Lisa Konno's project. In her proposal, she clearly explains the differences and similarities between the Dutch and Japanese practices and expresses her curiosity about the Japanese way of working. She is well aware of her own position. Although the intended results have not yet been specifically stated, the committee believes that the starting points and portfolio are well-aligned with each other.
Simone Post's proposal looks at working with shapes, textures, colours and glazes and makes connections with working with textiles, with which she is already familiar. In view of her specific approach and professional perspective, the committee is positive about the significance of her project not only for her own practice but also for Arita. The advisers state that in general they consider exchange to be very important. They like to see proposals that will also benefit Arita and that address experimentation and research within the knowledge and context that Arita offers.

The proposals submitted were assessed on the basis of portfolio, CV and motivation. The advisers evaluated the proposals to gauge how consistently they were conceived and the extent to which they met the criteria of the Subsidy Regulations and this open call. The evaluation took the form of a tender: two proposals were preferred to the other submissions.

about the residency
In July 2019, the Creative Industries Fund NL, together with the Mondriaan Fund, issued the fifth Open Call Residency in Arita, Japan 2020. Arita offers a living and working space for two periods per year, where one designer and one artist can stay at the same time. The aim is to create a valuable exchange between Japanese porcelain producers and Dutch designers and artists. The Open Call Residency in Arita, Japan will be repeated next year.