日落月出、月落日出、潮水漲退，人們在自然的循環中變化，或就是「生活」。
2022年9月，我打開家門，迎來兩位少女：「我們是住在台南做陶藝的，是附近一間咖啡室介紹來這裡的，我們正在尋找可以販售我們陶瓷的店舖。」面前的一幕像似曾相識。
為了打破有點尷尬的氣氛，我給了一個大大的笑容：「現在甚麼年代？還有人會拿著作品拜訪每間店家去找寄賣？」不是貶義，反而是一種欣賞，就是那個公司沒有刊出請人廣告，卻有人帶著作品集親身到公司等著有機會被接見的年代，單純又美好、還沒有WhatsApp、Facebook的年代。
「不如你們來直接來擺攤，月底有咖啡師來這裡快閃營業，你們不用付我場地費，帶作品來就好。」我就是這樣認識小陪。
「我最享受的莫過於刷紋的時候，有時候甚至不會先構思好刷紋的方式，看看器皿，順著直覺挑選筆刷或用海綿，好像任由他成為那個自己的樣子。」「冰淇淋」其實是化妝土，是一種陶器上色技巧，因為使用筆刷、海綿上色及化妝土本身的特性，在陶器上每一下的撫刷，在釉燒後並不會徹底融合，反而會食器上的痕跡，原來出土之前，作者早已跟食器留下對話。
「我喜歡尋找痕跡，最近台南的另一位做陶的朋友 〈好一點ALBSTUFF〉的小菝來訪，帶我去四鯤鯓那邊採野花。」跟所有少女一樣，說到去玩的事時都笑得燦爛，「真想當天跟他們去採花。」我把玩著她早前拿來的〈好一點ALBSTUFF〉花器，上面還插著花，我想：「那畫面應該比只在捏陶更好看。」
小陪：「小菝很會發現野花，平日我們不太會注意那些細小的事啦 ，原來還有青苔、枯葉。我做高台時其實是倒過來拉坯的，再把正面與細節修正乾淨。我想倒過來思考的世界很酷，雖然頭有點昏。」
工整但有缺口，自然又有序列，正是自然。「生活的變化」從很多很多看來的不同改變來綜合體驗，帶著粗獷刷紋的食器，每一個都獨一無二，又能組合成系列。小陪的陶器像鐵器生銹、化為斑駁，見證了理所當然的歲月。
成立工作室的日子，個性蠻急性子的她，急著想把所有想法落實。「但做陶不能快，得依賴空氣的濕度，需慢慢等待乾燥。等待到剛好的硬度，施以剛好的細節，在剛好的時間放入窯裡面。」應該是陶告訴她，有些事情就是快不了，但可能也給你一段時間，慢下來，好好感受，好好生活。
The sun sets, the moon rises, the tide ebbs and flows—the natural cycles of day and night, high and low, waxing and waning. People, too, change with these rhythms. This constant state of flux is the essence of what we call “life.”
In September 2022, two young women arrived at my door. “We are potters from Tainan and we are referred to by a cafe nearby. We are looking for a place where we can sell our work.” This encounter felt familiar to me.
To break the slightly awkward atmosphere, I gave the visiting potters a big smile and said, “What era is this? Who still goes around to every store with their work, hoping to consign it?” This was not meant as a put-down, but rather an appreciation for that bygone era—a time before WhatsApp and Facebook, when people would simply bring their portfolios and wait for the chance to be interviewed. That was a simple and beautiful time.
“Why don’t you come set up a booth instead? At the end of this month, we’ll have a pop-up coffee shop operating here, and you can display your work without paying any rental fees. Just bring your ceramics.” This is how I met Xiao Pei and came to know about Mound Pottery.
In April 2024, the duo established their own studio space, Day Day Studio, in a two-story house in Tainan. The basement serves as their ceramic studio, classroom, and kitchen, while the first floor is dedicated to an exhibition area and their living quarters. An electric kiln is placed right by the entrance. Though it’s only a two-year lease, this new space represents an important milestone for the young potters, integrating their living and working environments.
The new studio space has brought positive changes for Xiao Pei and her ceramics. Her work has become more technically refined, and she continues to focus on creating high-footed tableware, utilizing engobes to bring colors to her work. The centerpiece of their classroom workspace is a large, simple workbench made of wood and steel. Here, I observe Xiao Pei using a sponge to apply glazes in rich shades that are reminiscent of chocolate, matcha, and milk tea ice cream, onto the high-footed pieces she produces.
“What I enjoy most is applying the brushwork. Sometimes I don’t even have a plan in mind. I just look at the piece, choose a brush or sponge based on instinct, and let the process become its own unique expression.” The ice cream-like engobes are colored powdered clay and fire opaquely; due to their inherent properties and also the unique nature of the brushwork and sponging techniques, the traces of the potter’s hand remain visible even after firing, as if recording the intimate conversation that has taken place between the ceramic work and the potter.
“I love finding traces. Recently, my potter friend Xiao Mie from ALBSTUFF invited me to join them on a trip to Sicao to pick wild flowers.” Xiao Pei’s expression brightens as she speaks, a common joy shared by young women when recounting such outings. She continued, “I wish I could have gone with them that day.” Picking up an ALBSTUFF vase Xiao Pei brought along some time ago that is holding some vibrant blooms, I can’t help but think the sight of them gathering flowers in the Sicao must have been even more beautiful than doing pottery in the studio.
“Xiao Mie is really good at spotting wild flowers. We often overlook those small things in our daily lives, like the moss and dried leaves. For my high-footed pieces, I actually throw them upside-down first, then refine the front and details. I think looking at the world upside-down is really cool, even if it makes my head spin a bit,” said Xiao Pei.
Nature itself is precise yet subtly imperfect, orderly yet natural. The changes in life encompass experiences viewed from an abundance of different perspectives. Each piece is adorned with a rugged, brushed texture, making it unique. Yet, the pieces combine into cohesive collections. Like weathered iron rusting and mottling, Xiao Pei’s ceramics bear the passage of time.
In the early days of establishing her studio, Xiao Pei was impatient to bring all of her ideas to life. “But you can’t rush the process of making pottery. It depends on the humidity in the air, and you have to wait patiently for it to dry. Until it reaches just the right hardness, you can then apply the details at the perfect moment, and fire it in the kiln at the ideal time.” The craft of pottery seems to have taught Xiao Pei that some things in life simply cannot be hurried. It has granted her a time to slow down, to truly feel the process, and to live more mindfully.
