[Eye Plus] Seeking happiness from pottery

“The mesmerizing moment of turning a wheel and the soft feeling of the clay led me to seek a career here,” said Kim You-jin, a student studying pottery at the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage.

“There wasn't anything special in how I decided on my major, it was just like any other college student,” she added.

“It might be destiny that ties me with pottery,” Kim’s schoolmate Ki Jung chimed in, saying majoring in pottery was a natural choice after studying at Korea Ceramic Art High School in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province.

Ki talked about the pleasure of making traditional pots.

“I know people generally feel traditional pottery as something old and dull,” Ki said.

“But potters’ diverse emotions, the yearning to be delicate yet humorous, can be felt in observing, touching and imitating making old pots. That’s why I am here,” explained Ki.

Kim, for her part, emphasizes the value of pottery used in modern people’s lives.

“I know the beauty of traditional pottery, but I don’t think it is something all people need to stick to,” Kim said.

“People live with ceramics every day. I dream of people appreciating, for example, eating food on plates they love. Wouldn’t the pieces make them happy, if people have a meal on plates that fit their taste?”

Pottery became a pivotal part of their life.

“Pottery became something special to me and I am preparing for a postgraduate course,” Kim said.

Ki, too, said she will also "continue to seek happiness from making pots" even after she graduates.

Photos by Im Se-jun

Written by Im Se-jun and Lim Jae-seong