Chile Con Karen: Cerámica, Pottery

Sandra San Martín Cáceres, Gorbea, Chile
Website: http://www.ceramicamapuche.cl/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sandra.s.caceres.1
E-mail: sandrapitren@hotmail.com
Phone: (56) 492188

Audio Interview: Sergio
Sandra's Father, Founder of their Ceramic Studio, & Author

(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/65165954/Sergio.mp3)

Bio:

Since childhood, Sandra knew she wanted to continue the ceramic studio her parents, Sergio and Delia, founded in 1980. The studio specializes in producing replications of indigenous Mapuche ceramics from 1200 -1600 AD. Though Sandra’s family does not have a Mapuche last name, they have Mapuche ancestors and her father is an avid history buff who has published two books on the culture and identifies with several of its underlying core values. These include equality, communal self-governance, a tenacious belief in one’s own rights, connection with the land, and respect for natural resources. Sandra’s parents started the ceramic studio after Sergio lost his job at a publishing company in Santiago during Pinochet’s dictatorship. Eager to leave the city
and explore a completely new frontier, the two started taking ceramic classes at the Unviersidad Cátolica de Temuco and moved south to Gorbea, where they have lived ever since.

Sandra and Sergio in the Home

I first met Sandra at an outdoor artisan fair: a peppy, upbeat vendor. Starting with a simple question about prices, our conversation quickly shifted to the detailed processes Sandra’s parents developed when creating molds for the ceramic replications in collaboration with Chilean museums. After talking for the better part of an hour, Sandra enthusiastically invited me to visit her studio in person, where dialogue shifted to deeper themes of globalization and politics surrounding Mapuche culture. The studio lies behind the home she shares with her parents, which is an honored official city museum, filled with historical relics the family passionately collects. Items range from original antique ceramics and photos to a basket made from a cow’s udder and a mastodon’s vertebrae. Needless to say, I ended up staying for once, a lighter Chilean dinner.

Splitting her time between producing ceramics, managing sales, caring for her aging parents, training a local high-school-aged apprentice, running educational workshops, and applying for government grants, Sandra remains determined to continue the family enterprise despite a notable decrease in sales over the past 10 years. Indeed, these tasks leave her with little time for much else. When visiting, I manage to catch a glimpse of three hand-sculpted women hiding off to the side of one shelf. Frozen in time, their flowing dresses stand tall, as if billowing in the wind. These elegant bases are juxtaposed with jagged ridges, where limbs have broken off. Upon inquiring about the women, Sandra smiles with a sigh. I forgot about those… they broke during the earthquake [Feb. 2010] and I haven’t found time to make any since, even though I do enjoy creating figurines.

Hand-sculpted Figurines created by Sandra

Though other regions of Chile, such as Pomaire, are famous for greda, or clay, tableware and piggy-banks, Sandra prefers to
focus on creating Mapuche replications because they celebrate and share Chile’s rich history with contemporary audiences. One of her two sons is taking the family profession in a new direction, however. He is a ceramicist and designer whose modern, one-of-a-kind works explore the theme of fertility. (see website at: http://www.francovaxart.blogspot.com/)

Contemporary Cermanics, made by Sandra's son, Franco

Process:

Preparing the Clay Mixture

Empty Mold

Sandra explained that the molds are made of a very absorbent compound that takes up the water in the clay, leaving the middle of the mold hollow after sitting for about 1 day

Straining Clay

Pouring Clay into the Mold

Strapping Together the Two Mold Halves

Draining off Extra Clay

Removing Jar from Mold

Unfinished Jar in front of Sketch with Replica Dimensions

Cutting Replica to Size

Adding the Handle

Smoothening the Surface Before Firing in Kiln at 900˚F

Sculpting by Hand

Sandra's parents started off by making replications by hand. A few years later, they developed their own set of molds to create more accurate replications and increase efficiency. Now, they only make ceramics by hand for special orders.

Sandra & Sergio

showing off a Signed book by Pablo Neruda