The Bowl That Became a Vase

In 2019, Japanese ceramic artist Takahiro Kondo was demonstrating his craft at a workshop in Portland, Oregon. He had been shaping a wide, shallow bowl on his wheel for nearly ten minutes when the clay suddenly collapsed — one side buckling inward, the symmetry ruined. A few attendees groaned. But Kondo never stopped the wheel. Without hesitation, his wet hands pressed the failed bowl back into a mound, and he began again.…