Fired Up - The Raku Experience

Originating from Japan, raku firing is an exciting and unpredictable ceramic technique that has been used for centuries.

Pots are drawn from the kiln at around 1,000°C before being dropped into combustible materials to produce a reduction atmosphere. This leads to blackening and cracking of the glazed and unglazed surface of the pots, resulting in a completely unique decoration.

In your session you'll decorate a bisque fired pot using specialist raku glazes and oxides before firing.

An interest in Japanese culture and design began in the late nineteenth century as Japan opened up to the West. This sparked a wave of Japanese-inspired ceramic and tile designs in the UK and Europe, examples of which can be seen at Coalport China Museum and Jackfield Tile Museum.