Residency in Hungary, 2018

Muscle Memory Symposia: Kecskemet, Hungary May 2-May 29, 2018

A few of the first day sights of Budapest with the many bridges over the Danube between Pest and Buda. We spent a few hours at the fabled baths.

Missive from Hungary, May 18, 2018 I've been in Hungary for two and a half weeks - and we've done and seen so much it's hard to know where to begin. Six of us spent one whirlwind afternoon/evening in Budapest, roaming the streets and treating ourselves to the infamous Gellert thermal baths. Then wisked away to Kecskemet, just over an hour's drive in a mid-sized 120,000 town/city. The church bells seem to chime round the clock from all corners of the city. It all feels quite small, and quaint and I can't believe there's any place on the planet that has more gelato stands per capita! They even have gluten free, lactose free, sugar free gelato: yesterday I had lavender apricot! The people are generally warm, but it's a fairly monocultural place, and the few who have English are pleased to help out. Google translate certainly comes in handy.

There is a lovely farmer's market that I frequent often; I am surprising myself by consuming half a kilo of strawberries every two to three days, and the asparagus is in season. Fantastic!

We are cooking for ourselves, and I am buddying up with Susan Low-beer on that front, which is a joy.

Wednesday for my birthday the youngest of our group, Bence (7 Canadians and 7 Hungarians) decided to make a traditional paprika stew in my honour - cooked on an open fire. We sat down outside at 10:30pm to devour this scrumptious

specialty, complete with homemade sauerkraut and pickled paprika. The next morning we were on a bus by 7:30am for three hours to get to Herend - the largest porelain manufacturer in the world. We spent six hours there on a very detailed / translated tour by the head designer. Mind blowing doesn't begin to cover it. It's amazing to see how they took the principles developed by the Chinese and really ran with it - all hand-painted overglaze enamel work, 700 employees, 64,000 designs/patterns and 16,000 colours - they have their own three-year school, and 14-year olds are hand-picked to be trained as either designers, painters or makers.

As for the other artists in the Muscle Memory symposia at Kecskemet, and the creative process, and the facility - superlative is a word that springs to mind. Mimi Kokai's vision is really magical - and when we all sat down and showed each other our work, I felt humbled to be in the company of such accomplished young Hungarian ceramic masters. I have surprised myself, challenging myself to get off the plinth - I have created installation wall work and multi-media sound/video work - all in a cathartic flow of working through my body's twists and turns these past few years: kidneys featured prominently. Work is all in the kilns, either bisque getting ready for the gas firing Monday, or the wood kiln which we just fired off this afternoon.

Moments after we stepped foot in Keckemet, the Canadian "Group of Seven" Day after we are taking the train into Budapest to get a sense of the city through Mimi's creative eyes. I am happy, and feeling overall very strong. I love being away - but it's bittersweet, missing friends, family and loved ones. My sister in law and niece are visiting from Delhi, and I will have just under two weeks with them when I return.

Will send pics of the final exhibition - which is this THURSDAY!!! Not sure how that's all going to come together - but it will, magically, and with the incredible support of a highly trained and helpful staff.

Oh - and we have been blessed with summer weather for the most part - just moving into a cooler/ wetter spring period next week.

But it's been grand (as Lesley McInally's Scottish accent weaves it's way into my vernacular - lol).

Heidi

We were welcomed a veritable feast prepared by Babette (Left page) former technician - Hungarian goulash complete with vegetarian version for our first Friday mid-day meal.

The technical and admin staff were 1000 percent supportive: Jacob (left); Clara (right) and Steve Matheson (far right). Not to mention Rita, Andrea and Martin (not featured).

We got straight to work our studios open-concept like. I was paired with Annika and the two Hungarians, Adam and Tunde came about a week after we arrived. We were the quiet but intense group with Susan, Aneela, Esther Zsiri and Anniko laughing and chatting up a storm at the other end of the building. We worked intensely for 13 days bisqued and got to our first wood kiln and raku kilns within two weeks before setting out to see the stight in Kecskemet.

Zsiri Dempsey from Cork - my hall-mate

Aneela - sanding with passion

Kinga - prolific and profound

Esther, the fire whisperer

loading the first wood kiln.

Raku firings were multiple including the fabled "black oil" raku - that sent everyone running for the hills.

Kecskemet is a small city of 120,000 people that had more churches and church bells ringing than anywhere I had ever been. Also the gelato places per capita must be even higher than in Italy.

These are some of the sights and local artisans selling their wares in the town square at a weekend festival.

Kecskemet is known for its prolific produce and impressive market - only a five minute walk from the studios, we found ourselves stocking up on fresh produce, walnuts, strawberries and asparagus bi-weekly!

The steeples of Kecskemet.

The instrument museum in Kecskemet, on my birthday - a treat to play Hungary's early cello, and jam on the ceramic drum!

Tunde playing a modern-day pan from Trinidad and Tobago.

Spent a day with Susan catching some of the sites of Kecskemet we almost missed - this art deco Palace was filled with contem;porary and early 20th century art - the exterior design made from three types of ceramic tiles.

From the Museu of Naive Folk in Kecksemet

Latvian superstar cearmicist, Ilone Romule was a welcome constant in our symposia, always at the ready with advice and solutions. My flatmate - wonder woman!

The kidneys that came out of the fire - donated to Kecskemet

The gas kiln - my work wobblies in the middle

Bence makes me traditional paprikash for my birthday dinner

The oil raku takes over the courtyard, one of three or four firings... pew!

The second wood firing - in the main courtyard. 14 hours and it's all done! Everyone pitches in.

The wood kiln does its thing for the final reduction, and the Canadians reciprocate Hungarian paprikash with a traditional Mexican meal - done up in style. Gracias Gracia for your leadership on the menu and cooking.

My Hungarian "parner" - Adam Csaba stoking the smokeless. My Betrayed piece came out of this kiln rich in oxalate reds.

Romancing the lion at Herends with Mimi and Susan!

Three weeks into the symposia we trundled off to Herends - a two and a half hour journey to Balaton, met with a four and a half hour tour of the largest porcelain factory in the world!

700 employees making European designed work using ancient Chines overglaze painting techniques. So much to take in - from basket weaving, to intricate painting that takes weeks to complete a single figurine, to the huge mixers and the tinted green slips, and delicate hand made rose petals.

This wall installation graced the entrance way - a recent work by a new graduate from the ceramics school that trains its own future employees.

Courtyard in Herends with the head designer; photos of the demos (no photos allowed in the eye-popping factory).

The backside of the Vigyor Palace - old meets new -

Basilica in the background

The neoclassical architecture of St. Stephen's Basilica in Budapest, completed in 1905.

Parliament shot from the Castle in Buda.

Looking over at Pest from the Castle.

The catacombe labyrinth under the cliffs of Buda - complete with the retalling of the "true" story of Dracula. A chilly respite on a warm day.

Paprika and the talent-laden markets in the streets of Buda.

Ceramic flowers at the Museum Festival in Buda (above); a courtyard in Buda (right).

Sweets was a running theme in Hungary - I was happy for the sugar-free gelato!

The National History Museum (left) and view of Pest from atop Buda.

Archives and exhibits at Kecskemet

Maria Geszler-Garzuly - glazing her meterorites.

The "screen" for Lurking - the video installation that tells the story of a body with latent disease. Slab-built from German grogged clay, porcelain slipped and gas fired.

Ilona and me - happy exhibition day!

Steve and Mimi - in a rare photo opp.

Left: Ilona's "straight-jacket" and Mimi's body reborn.

Two day-trips into Budapest to see the sites, play tourist and hit the galleries. The train station is a marvel of architectural beauty, and the transit system seemless!

The Ludwig Contemporary Art Gallery - last Sunday of the month, complete with children's basket fair on the grounds, across from the National Theatre.

My pics from the Ludwig Contemporary Art Gallery

The infamous Budapest market - which we never managed to get to when it was open :( and some of the stunning houses in the adjacent square.

The contemporary art and design scene in Budapest.

The Musem of Contemporary Craft in Heroe's Square - the new generation of artists' take on their traditional craft was mind-blowing.

Castle in Heroe's Square

Heroe's Square

When we got home there was a local festival in the town square with thousands of lantern-lit balloons released.

Ghost stories and gluten-free smores! (above);' Mimi's birthday lunch May 28th. (right)

Heading home - aluminum suitcaes made it home in tact with 50kg's of sculpture The Muscle Memory "gang" holding our diplomas.

Hungarian ceramicists Kontor Enikö, CsávásRusicaska Tünde, Kovács Eszter, Várbíró Kinga, Demsey Zsiri, Szabó Adám Csaba and Boleman Bence

Canadian-based artists Aneela Dias D'Sousa, Annika Hoefs, Gracia Isabel Gomez, Heidi McKenzie, Lesley McInally and Susan Low-Beer