Homegrown design brand Supermama has long been familiar with the concept of slow living in Singapore. It works closely with many Singapore designers and Japanese craft facilities to produce a range of offerings that promotes just that.

And its inaugural Supermama Porcelain Festival, which started yesterday and will run until Sept 30, is inspired and influenced by the porcelain culture in Arita, Japan. The design brand hopes to create a bigger appetite among consumers for such handmade craft and practices.

“Ceramic as a material has taken a back seat ever since the introduction of mass production until recently, when there was this resurgence of the craft. In the past few years running Supermama, we got acquainted with many ceramicists and designers who work with ceramics. It is quite a surprise that there are so many people — serious hobbyists, practicing ceramicists or simply designers — producing everyday porcelain items,” shared Edwin Low, founder of Supermama.

Low said the desire for “slow living” has been growing here. “Nobody likes rushing over a hot cup of tea or coffee ... Perhaps it gained a tad more prominence through pop culture. There is definitely an interest among Singaporeans, in fact, many who practise it are young, perhaps popularised by Kinfolk magazines.”

The Porcelain Festival, which is inspired by the Ceramic Festival held in Arita, the birth place of porcelain in Japan, comprises two parts — the exhibition featuring Arita and Singapore selections, and the design mart held on Sept 23 and 24, showcasing Japanese and Singapore makers, creatives and designers.

One of the Singapore artists involved is Jeanette Adrienne Wee, who started taking an interest in pottery while studying in Japan in 2010 and signed up for pottery courses in Osaka. During her year there, she was taught to hone her skills in the foundations of pottery, focusing on making basic forms including bowls and Japanese teacups, through hand-building and basic throwing on the wheel.

When she finally settled back in Singapore last year, she decided to learn more advanced forms from local ceramist Jessie Lim, and now practises throwing various forms on the wheel, including vases, teapots, bottles and jugs, while having created her own style of building minimalist vessel forms with a creative use of glazes that reflect her passion for art in different mediums.

Wee agrees that more Singaporeans are interested in these traditional practices and are showing an increasing appreciation for ways of slow living.

“People on Instagram have asked me how and where I learnt pottery. I strongly believe that there are many people in Singapore who are interested in picking up a traditional skill or craft, but not many are aware of such art forms. Events such as Singapore Porcelain Festival by Supermama are a great way to start building this awareness and appreciation for such a practice,” said Wee.

Another ceramicist involved in the festival, Ivan Lee, also observed a rise in craftsmen of different medium over the last five years. “End products are always important. But in recent years, people are shifting their attention to process, and process as a product.”