Arno Hastenteufel proudly presents the nicely decorated honeypot, twisting it carefully with his fingers. The fragile earthenware is a copy of traditional pottery from the Angkorian period and one of the pieces created at a workshop Hastenteufel, a ceramic technician, and his wife, Ute, a designer, led recently for the Cambodian Craft Cooperation.
The pottery produced during the workshop is a glimpse of the future for Cambodian earthenware. The pieces will be exhibited at the organization’s Design Center opposite Wat Phnom.
The Cambodian Craft Cooperation was founded 1997 with the support of the German Chamber of Trade & Skilled Crafts Koblenz. Membership is open to any establishment that produces or sells crafts. The organization supports and develops handicrafts in Cambodia through training seminars, trade fairs and workshops.
Fifteen women from Kompong Chhnang province, all with experience producing earthenware, were taught new techniques and designs by German ceramic experts. The experts also talked to the group about glazing and the use of kilns.
“A lot of the knowledge of the Angkorian Period concerning ceramics is forgotten today,” Hastenteufel said. So the participants used pictures of ceramic pieces made in the Angkorian time as models, or they copied pieces now exhibited in the National Museum.
But the aim of the workshop was not just to copy old designs. “We tried to instill creativity into the women so that they are able to create new designs by themselves in the future,” Ute Hastenteufel said.
Some long-forgotten techniques, like the use of a potter’s wheel, were introduced during the workshop.
“With a potter’s wheel, I am able to produce earthenware with a better quality and much faster than before,” said My Meun, a 42-year-old workshop participant from Kampong Chhnang province, which has the richest clay deposits in the country, and is a center for the ceramic handicrafts business.
About 450 families in the province earn additional income by producing earthenware. But until now, they sold mostly simple jugs. “It is a good business,” My Meun said.
My Meun owns one of the biggest ceramic workshops in her village, having taken over the business from her father in 1980.
While her husband works as a rice farmer, she earns around $23 per month selling pottery. But the future is in doubt as cheaper earthenware with lower-quality craftsmanship enters the market.
“It will be more difficult in the future to sell traditionally made earthenware,” said Arno Hastenteufel, adding that new techniques and designs will be needed to attract customers.
The German couple held their first workshop last October. In November, the handicrafts made at that workshop were presented at an exhibition in Siem Reap.
