Long Yao, or Dragon Kilns first appeared in the Shang Dynasty, but today, there's hardly any left. In Singapore, only two remain, and Thow Kwang Pottery is the only operational one. Project Director Yulianti is candid about the productive irrelevance of Dragon Kiln as technology advances, but shares how Thow Kwang sustains timelessly through a pivot to education and workshops, envisioning it as an artist platform. She wishes earnestly for a successor to her craft, being in her 70s, but she believes it to be of no rush, as the right one will come eventually
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Watch more: https://www.asiaone.com/video
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Maybe the flame of fire, to move
00:03just, you know, move across this artwork
00:06I call it Dancing Flame of Fire
00:18I'm Yulian Tee Tan
00:20I started this journey since 1980
00:23as I married to my husband
00:25he's the owner of the Dragon King, Mr Tan
00:30This company was started in 1965
00:33by my father-in-law
00:36My father-in-law, he moved into Singapore in 1965 from Malaysia
00:42and he bought over this Dragon Kiln
00:45to start productions with a small cottage industry
00:49to produce the latex cup
00:52This latex cup is a kind of the small container
00:55to collect the rubber sap from the rubber trees
00:59So after that, they start with the orchid pot
01:02and slowly move on to the ornaments
01:07made to order for the hotel use
01:09And we made earns in the time that Singapore reclaimed a lot of land
01:13When my husband took over
01:15the industry in the 80s is slowing down
01:19Then we import as the demand is low and the costing is higher
01:25I think in the early 90s, we stopped using the Dragon Kiln as a production
01:37Wood-firing kiln that was discovered in China during the Shang Dynasty
01:44So this Dragon Kiln was built by Briggs
01:47So they built this Dragon Kiln on a slope
01:50So technically, it's hot air rises
01:53So they have the firing box in front
01:56They're the main chamber to stack all your pieces
02:01And at the side of both sides of the kiln
02:05So they have a small hole to fit the firewood
02:15In the past, Singapore had so many of the Dragon Kilns
02:18In the Jurong area, there are more than 10
02:20Slowly, with the national development, this Dragon Kiln was banished
02:25Tau Kuang Dragon Kiln is the only operating Dragon Kiln that I have sustained
02:30and made this Dragon Kiln alive
02:32That is a kind of respect to our pioneer generation
02:39I have a group of friends
02:42It's very passionate
02:43We start research using the Dragon Kiln as an artist platform
02:50We are originally from the production line
02:54So I feel that the educational of the ceramic process is most important
03:00That's why I started in 2000
03:02That I switched a certain part of it as educational
03:07First, this is a potter's wheel
03:10I will explain this potter's wheel
03:12They will turn
03:13But in the past, we were using kicking wheel
03:16Right now, we use this pedestal to control the speed
03:21All right
03:21So you can do the full speed
03:25Half speed
03:26Okay
03:26I use foot to explain to you
03:28It's easier
03:30Do the burger
03:31Just now, it's a cone
03:32Now, it's a burger
03:36Full speed
03:36You're using full speed
03:41There, V-shape
03:43But not this
03:45Straight
03:49Actually, everybody in their heart have their own art
03:53I feel that have their own art
03:55No matter that how well you're doing it, you see
03:58But you have to attempt to try
04:02Everybody have their own creativity
04:05My workshop, I start with three steps
04:08From nothing, you need to create
04:10So you will get lost
04:11So I will hold your hand for the first step
04:14For the second step, I will hold you for half of your hand only
04:19I wanted to build up their confidence
04:22A lot of them, they can't build up the confidence
04:25To the new area or to the new item
04:28So the third step, I will say that I've given up
04:31I will hold only 25% of your hand to move on
04:36So they have the confidence
04:37So they can add in the design
04:39Follow the flow
04:41So when you reach your artwork
04:43You will automatically have your passion
04:46Your artwork, your heart is already fit into your artwork
04:55And open up slowly
04:59Your left hand and this thumb is here
05:03So now, you use the other hand
05:06Press your thumb
05:07Press your thumb
05:11Inside is holding
05:12You are pressing your thumb
05:17Then you can see they raise up already
05:22You must feel it
05:31So everybody thinks that ceramic is only on the potter's wheel
05:35Ceramic can be anything that you form it
05:38Forming the shape is by your own
05:41When I'm doing the workshop
05:43I cannot say that they come and learn the firing
05:48I should say that we are sharing how we fire
05:54Firing of the dragon kiln is a labour of love
05:58I want to control the fire
05:59But sometimes we are uncontrollable
06:03The space, the movement of the fire and the air is already different
06:08You know, every piece will be unexpected
06:10We do two days, three days firing
06:13So when they do the firing
06:15With the different kind of the wood
06:17The wood ash will be deposited into their artwork
06:20So they fire over the time or period
06:23This ash will melt, become a natural glaze
06:27So this is a uniqueness of the artwork
06:33So you want me to show you where I made one?
06:36Yeah, yeah, let's go see what you made
06:38Sure, come
06:41Come
06:43Oh, I can go this way
06:54This one all fired in the dragon kiln
06:57When I'm doing the dragon kiln firing
06:59Dragon kiln firing
07:01Because our energy is from burning the wood
07:05So the wood ash is deposited into this area
07:08So they melt and become this, you see
07:14Same thing like this
07:16This is no glaze
07:18This is no glaze
07:19So this one I glaze, I do the colour
07:23So that you see the wood ash drop here
07:25They melt into this area
07:29The people, they will compare
07:32Why you still use the tradition to do it
07:36What's the point?
07:37What's the meaning?
07:38For me, I say yes
07:40If you can do both sides
07:42What is a high-tech thing?
07:43That is to move forward globally
07:46But the history, you cannot rewind it
07:49Or to redo it
07:50But there is a value of it, you see
07:53Actually, I'm an electronic engineer
07:55I'm a computer engineer
07:57Actually, I'm an electronic engineer
08:00My personality, I try to challenge
08:02To try a lot of different things
08:05You see, to test whether
08:09How much percentage that my passion is
08:12But I think that everything I try, I enjoy it
08:16Once you love your career
08:19Everything is a learning journey
08:21I put all my heart into it
08:28I like this one
08:30Because when my first grandson was two years old
08:34Then I did some clay work
08:38That he pinched this one
08:40That's why I must keep
08:41He's now 13 years old
08:44So this, I like it
08:49I like this one
08:51This one is an old piece
08:55I look back to my journey
08:56Of my start of this workshop
09:00I start with my own self
09:03With a very small group
09:04So I had to start a one-man show
09:06From preparing the clay for the workshop
09:10Sharing the history
09:12And sharing the process
09:14Keep this area more relaxed
09:16When we step in here
09:17To do the workshop
09:18Or to brush around
09:20So from there, people can understand
09:23More of the process of the ceramics
09:25And they can value
09:28The value of the ceramics
09:30Rather than just the production
09:33Or the tableware
09:37I feel that I have a lot of community
09:40A lot of friendship through firing
09:44Still a lot of people appreciate
09:46Of my work
09:47Still a lot of people appreciate of it
09:51That's why when I opened up
09:52My dragon kiln for firing
09:56Two times a year
09:57This whole journey
10:00Is a team bonding
10:02That reflects me to improve
10:04To learn actually how to
10:08Make this workshop more valuable
10:10It means that more educational valuable
10:13It's not the artwork valuable
10:15So they inspire me a lot
10:22We don't balance ourselves
10:24From doing the work that we like it
10:28And with our income
10:30So how I move, how I share
10:32How I want to give back to the society
10:35How I want to share with the community
10:38So we all both have our own
10:40Responsibility on different parts of earth
10:44As you know, my husband and me
10:45That we are getting 70 soon
10:48So, you know, we are not so energetic also
10:52And the labour to maintain this area
10:56Is a challenge for us
11:01Our generation getting older
11:03So we need to fit in young ones
11:05To have the successor
11:07But this successor is not very easy
11:11Even not from the family members
11:13Or from others
11:14The people don't like this kind of career
11:17It's a long hour
11:19It's not in the air-con room area
11:22They want work from home
11:25Artwork, clay work, all this is a long journey
11:28Maybe you need to spend a few years
11:31To grow this passion
11:33I don't think that
11:35Finding a successor is not the time limit
11:39When the time comes
11:41When the right person comes and approaches you
11:44That is a person to really have passion
11:47There's a person that you can lay to them
11:53I'm just a normal, ordinary people
11:57I'm just sharing what I know
11:58But I'm just sharing what I know
12:00And people teach me and give me the correct way
12:04So I think that I cannot say that
12:07My legacy is on this part
12:09I think that everybody has a different way
12:11I'm learning from others
12:13Dare themselves, give them a legacy