Tiancheng Kiln · Record of Object Formation

This zisha plate takes the Song dynasty kui-mouth dish as its structural point of reference and is re-formed within a contemporary context. Its aim is not to reproduce a historical form, but to return to the structural judgments through which an object comes into being—asking how it holds, how it supports, and how it is used.

Rather than treating form as a fixed template, the work approaches the Song dynasty kui-mouth plate as a system of decisions shaped by use. Through this lens, the object is reconsidered not as a completed design, but as a condition that gradually emerges.

---

I. Structural Logic of the Song-Style Kui-Mouth Plate

The rhythmic undulation of the rim in Song dynasty kui-mouth plates is not ornamental. It arises from functional judgment, allowing order to be established across the plane while preserving a degree of openness at the boundary. This restrained rhythm reflects the Song aesthetic of spatial calm and balance, often described as “plain distance” rather than visual emphasis.

Unlike later decorative flower-rim forms, the Song-style kui-mouth does not pursue visual complexity. Instead, minimal variation is used to generate stability and quiet tension, allowing the object to remain grounded in everyday use.

---

II. Contemporary Translation Through Zisha Material

In this work, the plate is kept low and horizontally expanded, with a restrained center and gently modulated rim. Sharp transitions are avoided in favor of continuous and gradual changes, allowing an internal rhythm to emerge within a static form.

Zisha is chosen not to imitate the appearance of Song ceramics, but for its openness in the firing process. Through zisha, fire, time, and uncertainty are allowed to participate in the formation of the object. The resulting surface—its tonal shifts, granular texture, and fire marks—is not decorative, but a direct record of the firing conditions.

Decisions about whether to preserve or temper these traces are not predetermined effects, but judgments that unfold throughout the making process.

---

III. Object Formation: Structure Before Form

This plate is not conceived as an exercise in technical completion or refinement. Instead, it is understood as a record of object formation. Here, structure precedes form, and use precedes decoration. The object is not “made” in a singular moment, but emerges through the interaction of material, hand, fire, and time.

Within this framework, the aesthetic experience of Song dynasty objects is neither replicated nor referenced as style. It is re-established through contemporary conditions, allowing the object to come into being anew.

The object takes shape in the present, while its origin remains traceable.