A meticulous craft: Exploring the magical world of clay

Many families of potters have been toiling in the sun to work with clay and keep the art of clay pottery alive

KARACHI: Many families of kumhars (potters), dwelling in the slum areas of Surjani Town, have been toiling in the sun to work with clay and keep the art of clay pottery alive.

These families initially resided in the Kumhar Wara area of Lyari but moved further ahead to be closer to the Lyari River.

PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/ EXPRESS

"We moved because we needed more space to work," Waqar, a potter, told The Express Tribune. He added that it was better to practice their art near a river as the soil of the riverbeds was conducive for pottery making.

PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/ EXPRESS

Another kumhar, Aslam, said the community often had to pay off policemen who asked for bribes because they burned garbage in a furnace to bake the clay into pots. "The police take bribes from us even when we are living next to an industrial zone, where factories cause more pollution," complained Aslam as he shaped a chunk of clay into a vase-like structure.

PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/ EXPRESS

Pottery is made by forming a clay body into objects of a required shape and heating them to high temperatures in a kiln which removes all the water from the clay. This induces reactions that lead to permanent changes, including increasing the strength of the clay and hardening and setting the shape of the object.

PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/ EXPRESS

Pottery can be shaped by a range of methods that includes hand-building. This is the earliest forming method. Wares can be constructed by hand from coils of clay, combining flat slabs of clay or pinching solid balls of clay or a combination of methods.

PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/ EXPRESS

Parts of the handmade vessels are often joined together with the aid of a slip, an aqueous suspension of clay and water.