Mr. Shen's Famous 1300 Only Porcelain 追求突破的頂級瓷器 1300 Only Porcelain
Mr. Shen's Famous 1300 Only Porcelain
◎English written by Peng Hsin-yi ◎Photos by Lin Yu-en
"I am proud of my ability to dream big" says Shen Hen-rong (Henry Shen) founder of the Kaohsiung based artistic porcelain sculpture workshop 1300 Only Porcelain. Mr. Shen lived in the United States for almost 20 years and spent much of that time honing his skills in porcelain art.
At forty years old and mounting family pressures he decided to return to his Kaohsiung home on Cijin Island. He vowed he would save his best work for his homeland. Back in Taiwan, he established Cijin Kiln, a company that produced ceramics for architectural, interior decoration and public art. However despite his success, Mr. Shen strived to take the art form to a higher level. He began developing top-of-the-line porcelain pieces, with the goal to create the ultimate unique piece of sculptured art. For the next five years, he learned by trial and error and experimented with various techniques and materials. He finally got the breakthrough he had been looking for when he discovered the ideal technique of making three dimensional porcelain sculptures.
In July 2010, Mr. Shen opened 1300 Only Porcelain, driven by high standards he was now striving to take his brand to a high-end international porcelain market. Despite the fact the company was still in its infancy, Mr. Shen has already brought his work to an international exhibition. In September, he participated in the Maison & Objet Paris 2010 international trade show. Many experts and critics raved about his work. He was even compared to the 300 year old famous German porcelain designer, Meissen. His success was augmented with many orders the show facilitated.
1300's signature sculptures are created with the use of 22 karat gold film on a white porcelain base. The gold brings out the magnificence of each piece. White is particularly demanding because you cannot use other materials or colors to hide any blemishes and one air bubble can ruin an entire sculpture. Every piece must be flawless.
Success requires an experienced artist with a solid technique. They must have an intricate understanding of the material, which can only be learned from first-hand experience. The artist must execute the process with exact precision and have an utmost dedication to the art form. His designs also aim to capture movement and expression, which deviate from the traditional bottom-heavy porcelain designs.
Master Ho Yongcheng is a 26 year veteran of the industry and considers his work with Mr. Shen as a challenge of a lifetime. Mr. Ho picks up a bat-shaped sculpture to illustrate his "unibody technique". This technique requires very high temperatures to achieve such intricate art work. Master Ho states, "It is difficult to create such complicated porcelain pieces from one mold. Our kilns reach 1300 degrees, hotter than any other workshop whose kilns only reach 1240 to 1250 degrees." Due to the fact the porcelain is molded at such high temperatures, it achieves a high degree translucency when put under display. It also appears to glow from the inside out and makes the sculpture appear like it was pieced together. The seam stands out harshly against the creamy surface.
Mr. Shen's vision for 1300 Only Porcelain is to bring new looks and designs to as many international shows as possible. He also hopes to prove that 1300 Only Porcelain will continue to outdo itself. 1300 Only Porcelain is certainly on its way to realize it's biggest dreams of creating new avenues for porcelain art and becoming the world's top porcelain brand.
追求突破的頂級瓷器 1300 Only Porcelain
◎文／侯雅婷．楊蟬華 ◎攝影／林育恩
「我最大的專長就是作夢！」1300 Only Porcelain創辦人沈亨榮如此說。
沈亨榮長達十餘年的時間在美國，沉浸在陶瓷創作的領域，因為親情的牽伴，在40歲那年回到故鄉高雄旗津，從事陶藝創作，創立「旗津窯」。沈亨榮說，要把最好的價值，留在這塊土地！旗津窯從建築陶與公共藝術等領域出發，5年前，為挑戰頂級瓷器藝術品作準備，歷經5年，突破各種陶瓷技術瓶頸和結構的侷限，力求陶瓷創作上能展現更貼近藝術創作者欲傳遞霎那的感動；經過反覆專研、試驗和無數次的失敗，終於找出了成功的配方(陶瓷創作的新技巧)，實現可以從前到後、從上到下，以720度的每個角度觀賞一件作品，2010年7月，沈亨榮創立「1300 Only Porcelain」瓷器品牌，著眼於世界頂級瓷器市場。
2010年的9月，在法國Maison & Objets Paris 2010展中，初試啼聲，1300作品讓行家同感驚豔，也成功拿下訂單。國外評論家更將1300與德國麥森瓷器歸納為同等級的最高級瓷器。
1300以白瓷作為創作的基底，運用22Ｋ金，彰顯貴氣。沈亨榮說，正因為白色沒辦法遮掩，任何暇疵，小至一個小氣泡就會毀了一件作品，因此製作時講究紮實的基本功精準呈現，創作者須培養靈敏度，堅持創作的步驟，還必須體現一心一意的堅持，創造獨特的風格和技法。而1300發展出720度的立體圓雕技術，讓工藝師創造時必需從每個角度去考量，而1300突破傳統陶瓷作品均有塊厚重的底座，因此從上到下，每個角度都可被欣賞，表現豐富層次，補捉一瞬間呈現的美感和感動，賦予作品更生動的能量。
工作室裡何永正師傅拿起手邊正在製作一體成型的蝙蝠，何師傅直說，「沒有人這麼傻！以一體成形的方式完成造型這樣複雜的陶瓷作品。且有別於一般瓷器普遍窯燒溫度介於1240至1250度，1300堅持把白瓷燒到1300度。」何師傅說，經過1300高溫淬煉的陶土，透過光線，白瓷內部呈現溫潤的明亮色澤，而哪怕是一道接痕，在1300度的窯燒溫度和白色的陶瓷表面，都會讓缺點無法隱藏，反而被彰顯出來。有26年製模經驗的何師傅堅定的表示，他會繼續留在1300，繼續接受挑戰。
沈亨榮表示，1300希望能在每次國際展覽推出新作品之際，讓觀賞者耳目一新的發出一連串的讚嘆聲。1300從這片土地出發，堅持開創新的陶瓷工藝之路，與世界爭鋒。