1Hello, and welcome.
2My name's Heather McCallum,
3and I'm one of the potters who work here at Edelman Pottery.
4Before we go into the workshop, I just want to say a bit about the craft of pottery.
5Then we'll have a look at the equipment,
6and you can try making a pot of your own.
7Like many people, I'm sure you know that pottery as an art form is tens of thousands of years old,
8and we know this because it stands the test of time.
9Things like baskets and pictures don't survive in the earth in the same way that pots do.
10And even if ancient pots are found in small pieces,
11they still provide a lot of information about the past.
12There's no doubt that pottery has given archaeologists a fascinating insight into how ancient humans lived.
13The shape of an artifact may have been lost.
14But archaeologists can tell whether the pots were for, say, storage or cooking
15by examining the impressions on the clay, the scratches from tools.
16And the clay itself can reveal where the pots came from.
17When I ask people why they want to take a pottery class with me,
18they sometimes talk about these things.
19Like our ancestors, they hope that something they create will also last longer than they do.
20That their work, whether it is good or not, might say something about humanity many years after their death.
21Of course, you will all have your own reasons for coming here.
22As far as I'm concerned, what I love most is the concentration you need to make a good pot.
23That focus takes you away from the stresses of everyday life.
24If you're elderly, it's also good exercise for hands and wrists, and helps with arthritis.
25And of course, it's a fun activity for children, because it's so messy.
26Here at Edelman Pottery we show you some of the basic pottery techniques,
27so that you can use these to create whatever you wish, a gift for a friend perhaps.
28Like nearly everyone who comes here, I'm sure this is the first time you will have tried the art.
29So we'll keep things simple today.
30Now, before we move on, can I just say a word about what you're wearing?
31As we said in our email, please remove any watches, necklaces, et cetera.
32And put them somewhere safe.
33If you have long hair, do tie it back now.
34We'll provide aprons later,
35but I trust your clothes are old but comfortable, not your favorite T-shirt or jeans.
36So now we're in the workshop.
37Have a look around.
38There's a lot going on.
39To make pottery that will last, you need a potter's wheel,
40a kiln, which is basically a very hot oven where you fire the pottery,
41and some tools.
42So first, the kiln.
43If you look over in the far corner, you'll see one of ours.
44Since their invention kilns have changed very little.
45Though in the past 20 years, a lot of progress has been made in temperature control.
46Basically, a kiln removes the water from clay.
47At temperatures of around 1,000 degrees Celsius.
48This allows anything you've made to set permanently in shape.
49It's a pretty ugly, heavy object that's hard to keep in a house or flat,
50so most people don't have one.
51You may think, "can't I use my oven?"
52Well, that's possible,
53but domestic ovens don't really get hot enough,
54and eventually the clay will crack and fall apart.
55Some people fire pottery in a fire pit outside,
56but bear in mind that can be dangerous.
57You also need to know about safety procedures for kilns.
58As they release toxic compounds into the air.
59Every potter needs a potter's wheel.
60This machine is used to shape the clay into an object with circular walls or sides, such as a bowl.
61Its invention revolutionized the pottery industry,
62allowing multiple items to be produced in a day.
63Lastly, there are a number of different tools that potters use,
64depending on what they want to make.
65When you start, your hands can make all kinds of shapes and curves without relying on a sculpting tool.
66However, there are some basic tools that you will need to handle the clay on the wheel.
67Some look very strange and have even odder names
68that you may find hard to remember.
69Rather than go through them all now, I'll just name a few tools as we go along.
70We can provide these and I wouldn't recommend spending money on them yet.
71So, let's try making a pot of your own...