Humanity exists in a state of flux, with internal developments and external factors forever influencing the course of history. Lacking the strength, speed, or agility of other animals, human survival has always relied on the transformation of environmental information into social knowledge. This knowledge is the basis of the tools and collaboration that have driven human expansion, and the foundation of the myriad cultures found around the world today.

Cultures are constantly changing according to this same dynamic, as are the processes that define them; crafts and arts alter and adapt to changes in the social landscape. Tradition maintains standards, whilst expansion introduces new ideas; utility defines function whilst creativity influences form.

Pottery is no different from other crafts in this respect: since the first scoops of Euphrates mud were worked into rough earthenware, the craft has been adopted and developed in countless ways around the world. New techniques, technologies, and materials have all played their part in shaping contemporary pottery, but the close of the twentieth century saw an unprecedented change: the internet.

The internet has impacted every aspect of human existence, worldwide: ushering in new ways of doing, seeing, and being. Despite pottery being a thoroughly manual craft, it has also been swept up in this digital revolution, with the internet fast becoming as indispensable a potter’s tool as the stick and the wheel.

Sharing Inspiration

Information and knowledge have always crossed cultures, be it through trade routes, pilgrimages, or public events. The development of print, radio, and television greatly broadened and quickened this spread, but did not provide means for discourse. The internet’s democratic access, however, provides a new way in which information can be shared and discussed, with everyone having an opportunity to speak their handmade goods.

The proliferation of social media sites such as Instagram, Tumblr, and Pinterest has worked to reinvent the hierarchies of aesthetics that previously existed, as exemplified by the term ‘trending’. Potters from around the world can now share their work and access inspiration in a way that was hitherto impossible, allowing many more to gain public recognition for the craft of handmade goods.

Collaboration

Pottery has always been fertile grounds for collaboration, thanks to the infinite creative potential that the materials used to provide. Designers, architects, sculptors, and artists have all enjoyed forays into pottery, whilst potters have long pushed the boundaries of what can be considered part of the craft.

The internet, however, offers a whole new level of collaboration. The sharing of images and ideas was previously reliant on fax, telephone, or postal service – all systems that were limited by their reach and cost. Where landlines fail, however, the internet often succeeds, as exemplified by many of the artisans and designers featured on this website. David Pompa, based in Austria and Mexico, collaborates with rural Oaxacan artisans through the internet; for Paulina Parlange, Whatsapp is an indispensable work tool to communicate with her artisans, also based in Oaxaca.

Whilst many around the world are still without internet access, the infrastructure and entry costs necessitated are lower than with any previous form of mass communication technology, giving it a much greater potential for widespread change.

Future

The twentieth century saw the proliferation of industrialized, production-line products that were utterly indistinguishable from each other. The twenty-first century looks to be going the other way, with a growing taste amongst consumers for handmade goods. The internet allows people not only to purchase such eclectic items but also to access information and engage producers over the backstories and backgrounds of their pieces.

Whatever the future holds for pottery, humanity, and the wider world, it seems certain that the internet will play an instrumental part in what is to come.