The maelstrom of information we live with—much of it skewed by algorithmic parameters—presents us with a soothing scenario: anything that makes us uncomfortable, that invites us to move and resist, is camouflaged under content that is pleasant and numbing. Talking about ceramics today often refers to simplified methods for making a picturesque piece that is easy to produce. The complexity of the craft has been reduced to aphoristic formulas that erase its transformative potential and, above all, the sociocultural relevance that once defined it and gave it validity.

From its origins, ceramics has been linked to the complexity contained in every society or human group. In this sense, what made ceramics a means of material and symbolic production was the encounter—clay is gathered and kneaded, a piece is enriched with interpretations and applications, its imperishable materiality is a constant tension between permanence and the wear and tear of time. The recovery of this dialogue of actions in the ceramic process is the conceptual foundation of the EQUÍ FAISE CERÁMICA: ALCUENTROS CREATIVOS project.

Through an experiential and participatory approach, the aim is to define a body of knowledge and practical approaches that link ceramics to work in community contexts, with the participation of associations and cultural spaces in the city of Gijón. These meetings will seek to endow the ceramic process with qualities linked to collective work, using a methodology open to exploration, reinterpretation, dialogue, and participatory listening.

In order for this project to be an invitation to approach ceramics from a perspective that is more permeable to participatory and community processes, the aim is to compile a freely available dossier that captures the development of the artistic residency: lessons learned, mistakes, successes, new horizons, and reflections.