Creative Spaces: LUMP Studio

What inspired you to start LUMP?

‘I’ve always wanted to learn ceramics, and I finally got a chance seven years ago. I’d just left my job of 11 years, and had moved to London to take some time off work. I did all the things I’d always wanted to if only I had more time — go to museums every week, practise life drawing and learn ceramics. I loved all of it, but it was the pottery making I really got addicted to. I enjoyed the squishy, messy mud on my fingers, and I loved being able to take a lump of clay and slowly turn it into something else with my own hands. When I moved back to Hong Kong, I looked for a place to continue ceramics, but couldn’t find one that suited me. I wanted a workshop with lots of space and long opening hours, where I could work alongside other ceramic makers. So I started thinking about opening my own space.’

Tell us a little about the ceramics that you make.

‘I love handmade pottery — objects that I can use and touch all the time like cups, bowls or vases, so I like to make things like that. But over the last year and a half I’ve done less ceramic work and more research and writing for a book about an 80-year-old dragon kiln, the only one left in Hong Kong. The book is called Objects of the Dragon Kiln, and was just published last month. Now I’m looking forward to going back to the studio and spending more time there with the clay.’

What kind of space were you aiming to create? 

‘I wanted to create the perfect space for ceramic making. On the one hand, that means a functional space — one that takes into account the whole process of ceramic making, so that there’s a perfect spot for where everything goes, whether it's the clay, the work benches, the throwing wheel… even each trimming tool. A good studio understands the workflow so that a maker feels like everything is at hand. On the other hand, I wanted to give makers space  — space to create, space to think, space to slow down. I think we’re all used to small, cramped spaces in Hong Kong, and have all become experts at compact living. But for LUMP, I wanted something spacious, airy and bright, and our city’s industrial buildings offered it.’

Tell us about the community the space fosters.

‘We get all types at LUMP. We have full-time ceramic artists as well as hobbyists who come in evenings and on weekends. Recent graduates and retirees. Locals and expats. The levels of experience, tastes and techniques all vary. The one thing that ties everyone together is a love of ceramics.’