BIRTHING BIG POTS: Creating Big Magic (a women's retreat) with Hillary Kane Oct 29 - Nov 11, 2017









BIRTHING BIG POTS: Creating Big Magic

(a women's retreat)

with Hillary Kane

October 29–November 11, 2017

Engage in a dynamic exploration of creativity, daring, and the art of finding one’s center in a two-week immersion combining skill-building in clay with a genuine deeper look within. While focusing on throwing and building vessels of substantial scale through a variety of techniques, participants will equally concentrate on the mental and physical relationship of clay work to whole-body awareness through daily practice of yoga and meditation, journaling and discussion, as well as excursioning into the feminine heart of Bali. Together we will ply the depths of the metaphor of the vessel and bringing forth creation. Channeling our creative voices and empowering our individual sense of capability, we will access our own bodies and hearts through the clay body in a truly transformational journey. This creative form of personal and spiritual growth engenders insight, and offers us new approaches to balancing our external life choices.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
29 October, Sunday                  Welcome Dinner          MOKSA restaurant

A sumptuous meal, a moment to ponder all the reasons we each find ourselves at this table together, a lighting of the candle of inspiration, courage, and dynamism for the two weeks to come! 
Our exploration has been informed and organized around the Balinese tenet
Tat Twam Asi, which roughly translates as “That Thou Art” or “you are a reflection of me”. 
As well, the five elements as they are known here in Bali:
Apah (water),  Bayu (air),  Teja (fire),  Pertiwi (earth),  Akasa (ether)
will inform our journey.  Both of these philosophies we will use to guide us in this tactile exploration of the ephemeral, eternal, elemental construct of Self and it’s tangible metaphor in pot-building.  Each day will be guided by a concept and a technique.
       Ends 8.30-9.00pm 
 



30 October, Monday            Bwana Alit--Bwana Agung (Micro to Macro)

9am Beginning:  CAMPUAN (the Confluence), the founding point of Ubud.  Visit to temple exterior and sit down by the actual meeting of two rivers.
Balinese concept of our bodies as the microcosm, the universe as the macro—everything in intimate relation and reflection of the other. 
Meditation and journaling: Intention, calling in the spirit of creativity, announcing we are here, recognizing there are other forces helping to guide us in this journey of life, place, chi lines, center of activation, commencement, joining with the flow…

11am: STUDIO—introducing the technical—working single forms: bigger, bigger, bigger, the technique as illustrated from small and increasing to large—some formative basic principles
·         getting to know your clay: soft clay, groggy clay, how fast it dries, spiral wedging, stack centering, using torso, opening with fist, singular large form, throwing in bands, using rib tools, approach to throwing swollen form with narrow neck small—translating to large…
·         Take a deep breath: you are exactly where you should be—in skill, experience, background, etc.  This is your journey—we are individuals collective in our support of one another.

Ends 5.00pm



31 October, Tuesday           Pertiwi: EARTH—deliberating the medium
9am: MOKSA DOJO: Morning yoga, meditation; journaling (grounding energy, drawing upward from mother earth, root cakra, primal, instinctive, returning to childhood, basic, foundation, stability)

11am: STUDIO Technique: Throwing in pieces, assembling
·         beginning with a sample form or sketch helps, the base forms—begin a few: straight and more flared; bringing up weight from the bottom, controlling the rim; setting forms to stiffen or using hand dryer
·         assembling: throwing next layer, thickness of rim, angle, specificity of measurement, re-centering base, attaching and cutting off bat, sealing join and throwing upward (inward first), set out to dry…

Ends 5.00pm



1 November, Wednesday
9am: MOKSA DOJO: Women’s circle—a directed discussion (The Courage to Create—informed by three questions)

11am: STUDIO Technique: Throwing in pieces, assembling (continued)
·         Adding 2-3 more layers to each pot begun day before, bracing hands when standing, final layer and culminating rim, making aesthetic choices

Ends 5.00pm


2 November, Thursday          Bayu: AIR—the space within
9am: MOKSA DOJO:  Morning PRANAyama and yoga focus with Ibu Jero Iluh Manis;
journaling (intention, filling space with something deliberate, the form of the empty void the walls simply hold, creating a more deliberate form)

11am: STUDIO Technique: Throwing and coiling
Base forms, concept of what is to come (shape-wise), Importance of strong rim, technique to rolling large coils, soft clay essential, damp table surface, overlapping seam, compression into base, less is more)
Ends 5.00pm


3 November, Friday        
9am: MOKSA DOJO:  SOMATICS (the wisdom of the body; transferring/guiding energy)- an introduction to somatics and Aikido with Janur Yasa.  Journal reflection.

Technique: Throwing and coiling (continued)
A wide-bellied vessel, danger points, determining widest point, narrowing in, and in, and in, finishing lip
 Ends 5.00pm


4 November, Saturday          Apah: WATER—the river journey (FULL MOON)
6am departure: TIRTHA EMPUL: Early morning water temple- bathing, blessing, clarifying
Wash away what you thought you knew, let go your own resistance, flow like water in your creativity.
·         Traditional dress required (can be provided if needed).
·         Women menstruating should refrain from entering the bathing pools, but can still join the excursion.
·         Mekibung brunch at Tirtha Empul balĂ© following bathing. Time for journaling.

1pm: STUDIO Technique: Narrow-footed forms, beginning form upside down, then throw and coil, eye on graduation of form, how to widen, new perspective of approaching any potential form.

Ends 5.00pm



5 November, Sunday   
FREE DAY



6 November, Monday
9am: MOKSA DOJO: morning yoga- inversions and balancing, challenge, daring, releasing the fear of failure, leap of faith, repetition, practice, reversing perspectives

10am: STUDIO Technique: Beginning form upside down, then throw and coil (continued)- righting the form, re-centering, supporting the base, continuing upwards.

4:30pm WATER BLESSING: an afternoon visit to one of Bali’s High priestesses for a water blessing, open forum discussion with priestess (Ibu Resi Alit ….)
Ends 6.00pm


7 November, Tuesday           Teja: FIRE—the creative collaboration
MOKSA DOJO: Morning pranayama- kapala bhati; surya namaskar quickening

Mid-morning GENTONG ARTHA: Javanese throwers, traditional giant pot builders—visit and see coiling plus paddle and anvil technique (scheduled demonstration)

1pm STUDIO Technique: paddle and anvil (could be applied to either of the two throwing and coiling techniques)

OR

12pm Lunch and afternoon spent beachside… (Kommune Beach)

Ends 5.00pm


8 November, Wednesday
9am MOKSA DOJO: Morning energizing pranayama; journaling

11am STUDIO Technique: Hand-building fast-coiling technique, irregular, non-semetrical forms, sculptural approach, adding onto thrown forms.
Studio time ends 5.00pm

Evening (6pm) AGNI HOTRA: (fire purification ceremony) at Kasa Kaneyasa w/ Mangku Putu; festive pizza-making in wood-fired pizza oven to follow
Ends 9.00pm


9 November, Thursday   Akasa: ETHER—the intangible charged and vibrant atmosphere
9am MOKSA DOJO: Morning meditation—calling in inspiration, what do you really want to build? Speaking of “Big Magic”, collaborative “genius”, “muse”….

11am STUDIO Technique: micro to macro using a maquette to guide creation of large sculptural forms; the essential importance of Clay Playtime

Ends 5.00pm



10 November, Friday          
9am STUDIO Technique: combining possibilities of approach, finishing

6:00pm MOKSA DOJO: Tibetan Bowls Meditation with PUTRA
Ends 7.15-7.30pm


11 November, Saturday        
9am—meet at studio and then shuttle up to Sungai Ayung entrance (by Villa Samadhi)

AARTI: River ceremony—“aarti”—the summation of the five elements and the art of letting go 

Brunch (picnic catered on site by Dayu)

Conclusion at Studio (photo shoot of all the big pots lined up out front)

Ends 1.00pm -2.00pm

Departure

*Lunch: unless otherwise specified, lunch will be served, family-style, in the studio mezzanine.
** The pots we make during this workshop will not have enough drying time in order to make firing during the workshop weeks possible.  Therefore, upon request, participants have the option to select 2-3 pieces to be bisque-fired in a very slow firing when the time is appropriate (could be several weeks later).  High firing of the works will be at the participant’s expense.


*** This workshop/retreat schedule is subject to change before final rendition.