Followers of Persian Glazes will know that they are based on an ancient Persian glaze system rediscovered and cleverly adapted for modern day use by my co-creator Noreen Jaafar. She makes wonderful designs of animals, fish, birds and insects whereas I use her colours in a more contemporary way, creating design elements which rely on the designer or end-user to produce the design ideas.
However, the glaze system does have its limitations. Colours flow in the kiln and there can be no sharp definition; no two tiles ever look alike and the ‘imperfections’ themselves vary. The colour palette is limited, and any new colours are time-consuming and expensive to develop. Blush pink and sage green may be the colours of 2018, but they will never appear in Persian Glazes. Does this limit their appeal?
No, not a bit. Designing within kiln and colour palette limits is a great discipline, challenging both makers and designers to make the absolute most of what they have to play with, thus producing unique results. And as Noreen’s and my designs show, hand-made imperfect tiles are timeless.
Today we have far too much choice in virtually everything, resulting in constant pandering to trends, conspicuous consumption and huge waste. However, the tide is turning. As Mies van der Rohe said of architecture and design: ‘Less is more’. Buying less and appreciating more brings lasting pleasure, and it is the hand-crafted element of ‘imperfections and limitations’ which stands the test of time. Yes, we need them!
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