Kakera Slip Cutlery Rests by Giran Sagawa

Ibaraki based ceramicist Giran Sagawa specialises in geometric slipware.

These fragments of his work are made to be used as cutlery rests, perhaps especially for chopsticks.

They provide a miniature introduction to his hand patterned ceramics.

Showing some of the influence of British ceramic styles on Japanese ones down the years, Sagawa takes the application of slip (a clay slurry used for decoration) to ceramics in a contemporary direction - with elements that recall graffiti, alongside neat dripper applied designs.

Available in four glaze shades, each piece is handmade, and therefore unique in its variations.

The rests are each around 3cm x 3cm, and weigh roughly 13g.

About Giran Sagawa

One of the emerging generation of potters in the Kasama region, Giran Sagawa focuses his work on slipware. A style with history in the UK, Sagawa is part of a contemporary revival movement for slipware pottery in Japan. In this work he applies a careful geometry, and at times graffiti like influences. The outcome are ceramics which are thought-out and satisfying to use. He also makes a popular series of mugs, stable in their construction, and well-fitting to the hand. These are often patterned with striped blocks of colour which accords with a another recent trend in Japanese ceramics. Sagawa calls these earth colours, reflecting the controlled appearance of nature within his work.

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