ceramics
Ale & Coke
Please tell us a bit about yourselves.
We are Alejandra and Coke. We met at university while studying architecture and felt drawn to each other because of our shared need to be more present and to feel true to ourselves. We weren’t happy with the way we were being taught architecture, and when we finished our studies we moved to the countryside, where Coke’s grandma’s village is, in the mountains of Alicante, to try to live the life we pictured for ourselves and create something that we feel identified with. We saw how our friends were starting to work office jobs and postponing everything they felt passionate about, even talking about things they would do when they will retire. We didn’t want to wait that long, so we started right away. We settled in this little village, which is in a process of depopulation, and started working barren fields, got some chicken and a pair of goats, learned about olive oil production and fermentation techniques, and of course, we settled our clay workshop and wood kiln. All of them are ways to put down roots in this land and the world.
When was your moment of revelation that ceramics was a form that you would like to explore?
Ale: I was in my last year of studying architecture when I felt the strong need to touch something real and to start making something from start to finish, and then be able to use it. No drawing on computers, no little models, but useful things conceived and made by me. Then I tried ceramics and got immediately hooked by the feeling of squeezing mud with my fingers. I started working with the wheel, but as we moved out from the city, I felt the need to simplify every aspect of the process and up to this date we use exclusively hand-building techniques. It allows me a more direct relationship with the material, and it is intimate and wild at the same time.
Coke: We thought ceramics was a simple activity that didnt require much investment, except a kiln to fire the pieces. We started working with this kind and abundant material, clay, that together with fire, water, and air keeps us away from computers and offices.
How did the Estudio Vernís come about?
As we were sure we didn’t want to work as architects for the time being, we were thinking of something to do and also to make a living rooted in our new rural situation. When we moved to the countryside we had very few things, and we felt the need for some objects such as a soap tray or a particularly-sized breakfast mug, and we were both very interested in working with clay and making useful objects. The kiln plays the most important role in the ceramic process since it is what transforms mud into ceramic forever. It is also the most expensive part of the process, not only acquiring one but also operating it. We wanted to risk cheap, and really didn’t have much money, so we thought about building our own kiln, and use wood to fuel it as a money-saving strategy.
We learned everything by ourselves and broke so many pieces the first firings. Then slowly we´ve learned the flow of firings and started understanding the rhythms of the flames, and now it is our project’s pillar. This last year we started formulating our own glazes using the ashes leftovers from previous firings, and it felt like the icing on the cake for our craft and the identity of our project. We think that it´s a nonstop juggling between our ideals and our sense of service to our community. Estudio Vernís is our life project, bound by nature, and with a constant beginner's mindset.
Where did you both grow up? How do these places, people, and textile traditions are now manifesting in your art?
Ale I grew up in Alicante, and it wasn’t until I moved to the inner part of the province that I realized how influenced my life was by the sea. I use to see it every day and went there all the time. I think it is very present in our work, and especially in the way I approach life and work. I’m also very influenced by the complexity of this landscape, changing from desert-like to green forest and white snow, and I think it translates into our glazes. I feel deeply connected with the simplicity of Agost´s pottery, the village where I first discovered and interacted with clay and the home of the classic botijo. I’m interested in the fact that these pieces are always useful, coming from a functional need.
Coke My childhood was spent between Alicante and Valencia, where my mother's and my father's family lived. In the houses of all my relatives, clay was always very present, in the form of the botijo, the orzas for the mojama, and the sinaí that filtered the water. I feel drawn to designs based on ancient developments and techniques that have proved their merit in the centuries before industrialization. I´ve always been impressed by the dignity of the utilitarian object, decorated to make every day beautiful. My parents instilled in me a respect for culture, traditions, and craftsmanship, as well as for the mountains and the wilderness.
What is the process and the thinking behind your pieces? Do you work together along the process or each of you focuses on specific steps?
Ale We develop ideas based on needs. We make exclusively utilitarian pieces and really enjoy the process of improving it as we use it in our daily lives. We first think about the shape we are looking for and then model it freely by hand. Then we try to reproduce it by evaluating every step to ensure more accurate results and less waste, always trying to be true to the process and letting the piece show the traces that made it. We develop the ideas together, and then each of us focuses on certain steps depending on our preferences and workload. There are some pieces I make from start to finish, and other ones that Coke starts to make and I finish it. Usually, I´m in charge of the glazing process, and then Coke is in charge of the wood splitting and organizing the firings. Firing is the most beautiful moment, and none of us miss it, so usually, I start the fire and in the middle of it Coke takes his turn and ends it. The idea behind each decision is to let the material act, react and guide the end result. It is not easy to embrace the unknown, but when we trust it we find the real gemstones.
We know that wood firing can minimize fuel consumption and smoke, which helps create a low-carbon footprint. Please share your thoughts on how important it is to you to create more consciously and to stop perpetuating key environmental issues.
Ale For us, it’s all about being present in every step of the process and making it as local and self-sufficient as possible. A responsible object ensures durability, preservation, and respect for materials. In the ceramic world, it is common to dismiss the role that firing has in the ecological footprint of one’s craft. We like to say that we accompany our pieces from start to finish. They’re never "alone" and this makes a difference in the final result. There is a certain feeling of mistrust when it comes to anything we buy. One cannot know for sure how sustainable an object is or where does it come from. That´s the reason why we want to control this aspect as much as we can. It can be dangerous to a certain extent as we can become quite obsessed over control. We are now in the process of refining the formulation of our glazes to the point of using only national, non-toxic, and sustainably sourced raw materials. We have already formulated glazes, and we are able to use the ashes leftovers from previous firings and utilize as few ingredients as possible.
How do you feel about working with your hands? Can you tell us more about the impact it has on your happiness and well-being, for each of you?
Ale It is very rewarding to see what I’m able to make out of a shapeless mass using only my hands. Pinching is my favourite technique because it allows me to read the history of a piece through the fingerprints that are imprinted on it during the process. In this way, each piece is telling a story of how it came to be. Then you have the wood firing, which is by no means automatic and can also make a difference in the final piece according to how we are handling it. All in all, using our hands it´s very rewarding, not only in creating ceramic pieces but also in our daily life here in the countryside. Using my hands connects me with nature and is a reminder of me belonging to it.
Coke I’d only add to what Alejandra said that today working with our hands is an act of resistance since most of the objects we find are made by machines. It is a commitment to putting people before machines.
What and who inspires you?
Ale Habits, needs, materials, and their limits, are the things that inspire me. Ancient pottery inspires me a lot too. Our ancestors' capacity to make wonderful pieces with what they had at hand -the most basic ingredients- and carried away by necessity, is something that always inspires me. I seek to amplify the value of creating everyday objects and for that, I need calmness myself. If I feel like a burden there’s no way I’ll feel the need to create, and I’ve found that only when I'm allowing myself time and space I can really transmit these feelings through my pieces.
How do you envision a world that has been able to revive traditional and sustainable techniques?
Coke I envision a more human world and a less technological and standardized one, with family-scale guilds, making the most of the resources of the environment, and learning to coexist with the world around us. A world in which there is a variety and richness of styles and techniques that respond to the needs and dreams of each community. A world, after all, that is detached from the commercial order. Ale I like to think that resource depletion will lead us to focus more on what is close at hand. Although a lot of knowledge has been lost, there are still people who know how to make things like in the old times, and we feel the urge to learn from them. Oftentimes these people are not able to explain the procedures, as it is deeply rooted inside of them, but the most beautiful thing about craftsmanship is that it is intuitive, and the finished piece itself can explain many things to you. This is something we want to maintain. Crafts are by definition local, sustainable, and on a small scale.
What upcoming projects make you excited right now?
We will be showcasing a pot in the exhibition 1000VASES in Paris between the 2nd and the 5th of February. We are really looking forward to going there and meeting all the other artists. Also for the first months of this year, we will be focused on completing a big order for a shop. Once we are done with that we are thinking about traveling by train to Sweden to visit Coke’s twin brother who’s been living there for a few years. We think it would be a great opportunity to get our thoughts in order and decide what’s next for Estudio Vernís, probably more experimenting with natural and local materials, and more drawing as well. And of course, this trip will be a great excuse to spend all the money we’ve made with the big order and to try to stay away from being attached to material things.
Where and how can people engage more with your work?
Anyone can see us in Paris at the beginning of February, and a selection of our pieces at Yonobi in Copenhagen and at Azul Tierra in Alicante and Barcelona. There are also some bits left at Iota Edit in London. We are always happy to welcome people to our workshop/home, some people come for a pottery class or just to have a look at the pieces and get to know the project. Everybody can engage with us via Instagram @estudiovernis and get to know more about our work on our website www.estudiovernis.es All photos belong to Ale and Coke.
