" I love being as close as possible to the living world, reusing natural organic materials as much as possible, and feeling the mineral quality in my pieces. "
MaÏlys hi
HÔ WORKSHOP
Ceramicist, Toulouse (31)
Maïlys Hô describes her ecological approach to ceramics, and transports us into her world where dance and architecture are interconnected.
Tell us your story, how did you find your calling?
After studying architecture at ENSA Paris-Belleville and UQAM in Montreal, I worked in an agency for a few years before setting up my own architectural firm in 2016. I focused my practice on assisting private individuals with their construction or renovation projects.
In 2017, during a trip to the Moroccan desert near the village of Tamegroute in the Draa Valley, I discovered earth architecture and this material in particular, which is omnipresent in Moroccan culture. My exploration of clay began initially through the lens of architecture, then quickly progressed toward pottery.
This discovery felt like a reunion. It echoed my childhood in the ceramics studio where I used to mold clay every week. From that time remain a bowl, a horse, and a box. Years have passed far from the earth, learning a great deal; dancing, intensely and regularly; thinking about spaces and volumes and touching materials through architectural practice.
Today, ceramics are part of my daily life, synthesizing these paths and showing that it is possible to build bridges between these disciplines, all linked by the gesture. The precise, measured, repeated, intuitive gesture. It is an approach to movement that, through the creation of a form, allows for the interconnection of dance and architecture.
After internships with the talented Ingrid Van Munster and Nina Rius, among others, I am continuing my exploration as a self-taught artist.
How would you describe your style and your artistic approach in a few words?
My pieces are dedicated to interior use, and more specifically to tableware. In each of my creations, I seek a balance between graphic lines and architectural form. I work with black grogged stoneware, Saint-Amand stoneware, or wild clays harvested in the Toulouse region.
Each form is born from an intuition, followed by a process of research that I materialize primarily on the potter's wheel. This tool allows me to shape the majority of my production. My architectural practice leads me to draw, so I have gotten into the habit of sketching my pieces before shaping them. These are profiles executed quickly, mainly in cross-section.
Furthermore, I have developed a need for hand-modeling using the coil technique. This allows me to appreciate the slow pace and a certain letting go, both of which are necessary for creativity. Evening hours are conducive to these moments of creativity. In such cases, I do not make sketches; I switch off my brain and let my movements express themselves.
What themes or subjects inspire you the most in your work?
I love being as close as possible to the living, reusing organic natural materials as much as possible, and feeling the mineral quality in my pieces. What deeply inspires me is the presence of raw material, rock, and roughness.
The shades and textures I develop evoke at times the oxidized surfaces of Breton ports, and at others the mineral and plant nuances discovered while hiking in the mountains. My Vietnamese roots also nourish my approach, in the search for precise forms and balanced functions.
How do you work?
I work in a small 9-square-meter room attached to my house in Toulouse, which looks out onto my garden. There is no heating or running water. It is therefore very spartan and rudimentary; it is a bit tough in winter and during the recurring heatwaves, but it suits me, at least for now. It allows me to continuously integrate the recycling of clay and glaze into my practice.
Technically, I have 2 buckets for cleaning/washing clay and 3 buckets for cleaning glaze. After a few weeks or months of use, I can recover the material settled at the bottom of the fullest bucket and reuse it in the recycling process. In this way, I generate almost no waste and consume hardly any water.
Do you have a specific technique or unique expertise? Without revealing all your secrets, have you developed your own methods and techniques?
Increasingly, I am exploring simple glazes made from wood ash or oyster shells. I do a lot of testing; it is a long process, but it is fascinating. I also harvest wild clays in Haute-Garonne to reuse them as earthenware in low-temperature firings and use them as slip on stoneware fired at high temperatures. Going to find the material at its source, with a shovel, boots, and a bucket out in nature, makes a lot of sense to me.
Furthermore, I try to achieve extreme finesse and lightness in the Saint-Amand stoneware pieces that I throw on the wheel. I really enjoy the rigor, precision, and concentration that this entails.
Tell us about your daily life, your constraints, your joys, your successes…
I am often one-on-one with myself in the studio and it brings me a lot of serenity. I need solitude in my practice, it calms me. As the studio is connected to the garden, I can work outside when the weather allows it, which is a real pleasure. However, I also need to exchange and connect with other artisans, so I sometimes organize pop-up sales with my peers; it is always joyful and stimulating to share these moments. It sometimes sparks rich ideas for professional collaborations.
The most challenging part for me is communication, positioning, and marketing. It is a real job in its own right and I am not trained for it, so I am seriously thinking about delegating this part to a professional.
A message to convey, anything else you would like to share?
Replace plastic with ceramic!
