Not the title of Stephen Hawking’s newest book or the name of a dry cleaner that lost my shirt, In the folded up disorder is a chawan by Pagasari, also known as Frédéric Pagace. I stumbled across his tea bowls while browsing eBay, and immediately fell for their style, which seemed to blend naturalistic Korean bowl macro-texture, the micro-texture of Hagi, and color more typical to Japanese Raku. Much of his work I haven’t seen anything like before.
Pagasari’s chawans have a feel that is primordial and Jurassic, evoking tectonic, volcanic origins. Some bear what look like scratch marks, as though a velociraptor took part in their creation. I was a bit worried that the disorderly design of this bowl might make for a vessel too chaotic to enjoy tea from, but the green foaminess of matcha seems to calm and complete it.
Where to Find
Pagasari’s chawans can be found on his website or at his eBay and Etsy shops, which carry different selections. The bowls are lead-free and formed to be used.
Frédéric Pagace uses traditional methods to create innovative pieces that strike me as being not just good, but important. I will leave you with a few of my favorites.
