Home Institution
Reed College
Publication Date
Fall 2013
Abstract
This paper investigates the changing status of ceramics in Thimi, Nepal. Pottery in the Kathmandu Valley is an ancient tradition, dating as far back as 400 AD. However, the rich craft is currently at a crossroads between extinction and innovation. The author’s project is to trace the lives of pots and the potters from the mid 20th century until present as they are imagined, remembered, and enacted by the human and clay inhabitants of Thimi. Rather than focusing on the aesthetic properties of pots, the author instead emphasizes the social relations that both surround and encounter them. This method aims to shed light on how and by whom clay is transformed into a functional and culturally meaningful object. In conclusion, the author addresses potential futures for the disappearing pots and potters of Thimi.
Disciplines
Art and Design
Recommended Citation
Foley, Briana, "The Social Lives of Pots and Potters in the Kathmandu Valley" (2013). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 1744.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/1744
Program Name
Nepal: Tibetan and Himalayan Peoples