Brown Batya, 2018, Naama Steinbock, Idan Friedman

Photo: Hadar Saifan

What

Terracotta; wheel thrown

Who

Reddish Studio: Naama Steinbock, b. 1975; Idan Friedman, b. 1975

Why

“The unification of functions is a current trend in the world of objects, both as an economic consumer strategy and as a cultural strategy. In both cases, existing typologies are examined. The teapot as an object and terracotta as a material represent a long historical legacy of traditions and rituals that persist today. Ranging from Canaanite earthenware to Chinese Yixing teapots and the iconic Victorian teapot Brown-Betty – all have strong cultural, material, structural and functional genes represented by powerful, iconic outlines.

This work presents a new structure and silhouette for the traditional teapot, simultaneously representing the ancient past and contemporary thinking. We aimed to underscore the encounter between design and the ceramic craft: doubting and changing the object’s structure represents contemporary thinking, whereas the work on the potter’s wheel and the use of terracotta rely on traditions that keep the teapot in the warm, intimate sphere where we believe it belongs.”

Where

On display at the Rothschild Center, Tel Aviv Biennale of Crafts & Design, MUZA – Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv.