4. Mutai Ceramics
“I have always been attracted to and fascinated by the moon, I think because it symbolises everything that is dear to me: femininity, nature cycles, rebirth... Every time I look at the moon I feel connected, to the earth, to the universe, to other women and to myself. It’s a bit like a compass”
Ceramicist Maïté Dague Brown lives and works in the heart of Clapton. Her brand, Mutai Ceramics is still in its infancy and yet her beautiful, distinctive stoneware pieces are quickly finding their way into homes all over London and further afield.
Maïté had always admired beautiful pottery, so she enrolled on an evening course with potter Lesley McShea. Once there, her heart was captured and after subsequent classes at Turning Earth and The Kiln Rooms she continued to hone her craft independently which, she says, has meant she’s learned everything since then the hard way.
“I don't come from a creative background, in fact I didn’t do anything vaguely creative until my 30s. I didn't go to art school, but I grew up admiring my grandmother's incredible knitting and sewing skills. I always loved having handmade things and look for beauty in everyday objects”.
When she’s working on a piece, Maïté always considers the person that will one day hold it in their hands: “the pot is a strange connection between me and the person that will own it”. Depending on her day, she will listen to either music or a podcast or simply sit with her thoughts. She feels her mood or that of the music she’s listening to influences her making – “I'm sure that there is a bit of music or birdsong in every pot!”
Before Maïté started her career in ceramics, she was more attracted to colourful objects, in particular vintage pieces found at flea markets, but over time, the clay drew her into simpler and more neutral tones. She enjoys the handmade, raw aesthetic of this palette but there is a technical side to it, too - she makes her own glazes, but making new colours and finding formulas that actually work is something she finds really challenging. There is a lot of chemistry involved that she’s keen to learn more about.
Maïté credits Hackney’s creative atmosphere for inspiring her to take up ceramics “I think I would never have tried to learn ceramics if I didn't live (here): there is so much creativity around, it is very inspiring and you feel everything is possible. I spend a lot of time on the marshes, too and it almost certainly influences my work and how I feel”
When someone buys from her it is an incredible feeling: “I feel gratitude mainly, but also pure joy, to think someone is going to use my mugs or bowls in their home, in their life.... I am always amazed when someone buys my work, I love knowing where the pieces go”.
As for many of us, this year especially, Maïté finds that working from home is not without its challenges. She sometimes finds it difficult to separate work from home life - she has a 9 year old daughter as well as Indy, her beautiful dog, to distract her. “But most of the time I do love it because it means I can work around everything else and organise my time as I like/need to”
Maïté throws her pieces using a potter’s wheel in her studio at the bottom of her garden. Before she begins, she weighs and wedges each piece of clay (“wedging” prepares the clay for use, making it more pliable and ensuring optimum consistency). Then she throws the clay on the wheel. Once shaped, the pieces need to dry until they're leather hard so that they can be trimmed while still on the wheel. They then need to be completely dry (which can take up to a week if the weather is humid) before being placed in the kiln for bisque firing - they fire at 1000 degrees and stay in the kiln for about 24 hours. After this, the pieces are glazed/decorated and they go back into the kiln for their last firing at 1260 degrees. It is a long process where anything can go wrong: a crack, a pot exploding in the kiln, not to mention unpredictable glazes.
Of her moon design, Maïté says: “I have always been attracted to and fascinated by the moon, I think because it symbolises everything that is dear to me: femininity, nature cycles, rebirth... Every time I look at the moon I feel connected, to the earth, to the universe, to other women and to myself. It's a bit like a compass”.
A dream for her would be to go and learn different pottery techniques in other parts of the world - what fascinates her in particular is that the art of ceramics is so ancient. Every culture has a tradition of their own, their own local clay as well as decoration and firing techniques.
I asked Maïté which other craftswomen she admires “I love the work of Heloise Bariol. I also have a thing for jewellery and my favourite maker at the moment is Nouare - all sustainable and beautiful and I am always amazed by the quality of Mimi Berry's bags, the leathers and craftsmanship are incredible.
Find Mutai Ceramics on Instagram here and shop her beautiful ceramics here.