Half-Day Onggi Demo with Kwak Kyung Tae

An Exclusive Onggi Demo Led by Teacher Kwak

This demo is ideal for those looking to experience first-hand the unique traditional techniques for creating large ceramic pieces. Observers who wish to create bigger pieces in clay will gain insight into highly efficient Korean handbuilding and paddling approaches which can inform their work. Regardless of your prior experience—whether you have been working with clay for days or decades—you will find this time witnessing the onggi process to be both an enriching learning experience and engaging spectacle as Kwak Kyung Tae works with clay at a scale and with finesse that is fascinating to witness.

Demo Includes:

• 4 hours of demo from Teacher Kwak
• Translation by Teacher Kwak’s apprentice
• Snacks, coffee, and tea available

What is Onggi? Onggi has been popularized as Korea’s large fermentation vessels, but its meaning is not limited to large vessels. We explore how ‘onggi’ encompasses a way of working with certain types of clay and with certain firing conditions. In this intensive session we uncover the deep roots of onggi in Korean society and its role as a vessel for humanity, both literally and figuratively. We begin by exploring how specific cultural, geographical, and culinary contexts informed the development of this incredible set of techniques, then dive right into making. As Teacher Kwak Kyung Tae forms an onggi from start to finish, his apprentice will be translating his detailed commentary on each part of the process. One of the beautiful aspects of Onggi is that each movement has been developed and refined by generations of potters; you will witness the same movements that were being used thousands of years ago.

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