Eye - 17 February 2017

Clay, Quakerism and quirks

Pots thrown, clay wedged, handles pulled… there are some busy bees making an appearance at 8pm on Thursday evenings.

The Great Pottery Throw Down, in a familiar format to fans of a certain cookery show, sees ten amateur potters strive to create beautiful ceramics against the clock during three challenges each week.

The BBC2 programme has returned for its second series and features a quirky Quaker flexing her creative muscles!

Cáit Gould has been potting for fourteen years, ever since taking a design degree specialising in ceramics. She grew up attending Glasgow Meeting, is currently finance trustee for Young Friends General Meeting, and works as warden at Reading Meeting House.

Cáit talked to Eye about pottery, Quakerism and taking part in the show.

There was ‘absolutely no way I’d be able to do anything they’d done’ was Cáit’s first thought after seeing the first series. Luckily for viewers, a talk at the Ceramic Art London fair by the judges, winner and producers of series one changed her mind. She told Eye that she was shocked but heartened to discover she was in the final ten.

When filming began it was the start of a steep learning curve. ‘I quite like to work in absolute silence,’ Cáit explained, but in a room filled with contestants, judges, the presenter, cameras, producers, sound engineers… ‘I got much better at working with distractions’.

She reflects: ‘I think they were partly interested in me being on the show because I was a Quaker, so I was thinking about the influence of Quakerism on my work more as a result.

‘I do enjoy minimalist forms to what I make… Quakerism is very much about living your values [and] creative practice is a way of expressing your insides.’

She added: ‘Being surrounded by courageous Quaker friends and having a belief system instilled in me, from parents and friends, which places value on acting on one’s beliefs gave me the courage to quit primary school teaching in pursuit of pottery. I probably wouldn’t have been in a position to apply for the show, let alone get through… if it wasn’t for a very supportive circle of many Quakers.’

Cáit spoke of how the experience has gone on to influence her work: ‘The sorts of challenges they put us through helped develop my understanding of my inspirations and style. I like simple things that have a purpose and a meaning behind them. It’s not just about creating “stuff” – it’s about having a meaning behind what you’re doing.’

Having tackled challenges like throwing a sixteen-piece dinner set and creating an impressive metre-tall owl clock, Thursday 16 February’s episode saw Cáit tackle Raku firing.

So far: ‘The reaction has largely been positive [though] we’re finding it rather difficult. We created it in isolation and now it’s out in the open. It’s out there for everyone to comment on.’

The competition was filmed in the summer of 2016 but the contestants are still in contact most days: ‘It was such an unusual experience to have gone through [and] as a result we’ve got this special bond.

‘The Quaker community gives me a sense of groundedness in the area [since moving from Glasgow] but I had been missing the creative artistic community and meeting them has provided that… We all support each other, spur each other on.’

Cáit is now continuing ‘to develop my understanding of who I am as a ceramist and make more. I like making simple, zany, quirky things [and] got quite a lot of love for that owl clock!’

She is also sharing her passion for pottery: ‘I’ve started doing evening classes at Leighton Park School – Quakerism, teaching and ceramics! It’s all been brought together!’

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