Phones elicit ‘one criticism of N.Z.’

Press, 28 July 1987, Page 7

Phones elicit ‘one criticism of N.Z.’

By

SUZANNE KEEN

After 10 years peacefully throwing pots in Japan, Edward Sellen was shocked to visit New Zealand and be robbed in broad daylight by a money-guzzling public telephone. The professional potter and his family have been slowly travelling south since they arrived in Auckland on June 5, and it was in the seemingly harmless town of Takaka that he parted company with his 20c coin. “I have one criticism of New Zealand and it is that the phones don’t work a damn. I was robbed of 20 cents. In Japan there is a phone at every street corner that works.”

Pennies are important to a potter when it is almost impossible to make a living. However, anyone who attended Mr Sellen’s demonstration and talk at the Canterbury Potters’ Association work rooms at the Arts Centre on Thursday evening would have realised that he has a skill which has enjoyed some success.

Mr Sellen, an Englishman, married his Japanese bride in 1976, he had intended stay only a month in Japan, but after meeting a potter and being introduced to the clay and wheel, he de-

cided that was what he really wanted to do. The couple settled in the country, and said good-bye to Mr Sellen’s previous job as a “dirty rock ‘an’ roll roadie ”

Study at a ceramics research and training institute and a spell working with a friend at a woodburning kiln were, followed by three months in England learning to

“pull a handle.” “In Japan they never have handles on anything. When you think about it, you don’t really need them.”

However, he thinks Japan is the best place to work as a potter, there are lots of other people involved in the craft, good clay is plentiful, and it is a traditional craft. Mr Sellen returned to Kasama and built a climbing kiln to give his first one-man show in 1983. The family had planned to visit New Zealand for some time, with a view to settling here in the future. “I think it’s lovely. We came in the winter purposely to see how bad it gets, but it doesn’t get too bad at all. It rains a bit, but it doesn’t get really cold.”

Mr Sellen said that New Zealand pots were influenced by Japanese works. In spite of this, much of the pottery which sells

here would be left on the shelf in his own country because of its poor ityThe collection of works which Mr Sellen has taken with him to lectures at various pottery clubs throughout New Zealand includes square-shaped dishes. These are unique to Japan, where they are the traditional servingtype dishes.