{"product_id":"masterclass-theiere-avec-kiki-cui","title":"Teapot Masterclass with Kiki Cui","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eTwo days on the Chinese teapot\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eWhy do some teapots pour perfectly while others drip? That is the entire focus of this masterclass.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eKiki Cui, a Shanghai-based ceramicist trained in Jingdezhen, guides you over two days through the anatomy of a small-scale teapot: from the spout to the lid, every detail counts. The goal is not the perfect piece — it is to understand.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eFor intermediate throwers · small group\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePLEASE NOTE: Workshop held exclusively in English\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe workshop focuses on \u003cb\u003esmall-scale, Chinese-style teapots\u003c\/b\u003e: these compact pieces, designed to brew little and serve often, where the slightest inaccuracy is immediately visible. An excellent school.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eAn important word on the mindset\u003cb\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e These two days are dedicated to learning, not performance. The objective is not to go home with a perfect piece, but to gain a deep understanding of what makes a teapot function — and to acquire reflexes that you will subsequently use in your own practice. We experiment, we fail, we try again, we analyze. This is precisely how one progresses.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eMasterclass Content\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"p1\"\u003eDay 1. Understanding, demonstrating, throwing\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe principles of a functional teapot. We begin with theory, because that is what makes the difference. On the agenda:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003eThe major families — rear-handled teapot, side-handled (kyusu style), top-handled, and handleless houhin.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli class=\"p1\"\u003eThe pour — relationship between spout shape and flow, opening design, single or multi-hole filters, and how to achieve a clean, crisp stream.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli class=\"p1\"\u003eAirflow — role and placement of the air hole, balance between pressure and flow rate.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli class=\"p1\"\u003eThe clean break — refining the spout, water separation, and the art of pouring without a single drip.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli class=\"p1\"\u003eLids — overlapping, flush-fit, double-gallery, and cup-style systems; fitting, accounting for shrinkage, and how to keep it stable while pouring.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli class=\"p1\"\u003eErgonomics — handle design, relationship between body, grip and hand, balance, weight and capacity.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli class=\"p1\"\u003eThe foot — different ways to finish the base and its influence on proportions.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe demonstration\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eYour instructor will throw the entire process before you: planning the proportions, body, lid, spout, handle, and then preparing the elements for assembly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePractice\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eIt is your turn, with guidance throughout. Individual feedback focuses on controlling proportions, your structural choices, technical difficulties, and functionality questions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"p1\"\u003eDay 2 — Refining, assembling, understanding\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe second day is dedicated to precision, problem-solving, and completing your piece.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\n\u003cli class=\"p1\"\u003eTrimming and refining — reworking the form, adjusting wall thickness, balance, and proportions.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli class=\"p1\"\u003eLid fitting — reworking the gallery, improving the fit, anticipating shrinkage.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli class=\"p1\"\u003eSpout and handle — refining the spout for a better pour, positioning the handle, attention to joints and transitions.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli class=\"p1\"\u003eAssembly — attaching the elements, correcting alignment, striving for a unified form.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIndividual support\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThroughout the day, everyone receives feedback on their own work. Discussions may cover the development of a personal formal language, sources of inspiration — ceramics, art, craftsmanship, other disciplines — and how materials, function, and aesthetics respond to one another.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eYour pieces will then be fired by the studio within 15 days.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eYour instructor\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eKiki Cui was born and raised in Shanghai. Her creative journey began in childhood with classical music and the violin, followed by eight years in food consulting, where she developed a unique perspective on culinary culture, craftsmanship, and the gestures of daily life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eHer interest in making goes far beyond ceramics: she has explored traditional Chinese silver filigree and handmade incense, all while maintaining a personal connection to tea culture and cooking.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eShe approaches ceramics with the desire to understand the process as a whole. Beyond throwing, she explores glaze development and firing methods: plant ash glazes she creates herself, gas and wood firings, and the construction of traditional kilns learned in Jingdezhen, China.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eHer practice focuses on thrown functional ware, particularly teapots. What interests her is the relationship between form, function, and the manufacturing process — and how each technical decision shapes the use and character of the final object.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThrough her teaching, she wishes to transmit much more than techniques: the reflection that precedes the gesture, from understanding function to developing a personal design approach.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e📷\u003c\/span\u003e @cui_kiki\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFor whom?\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIntermediate to advanced level\u003c\/strong\u003e. This workshop is aimed at those who already have experience on the wheel and are capable of making simple forms, cylinders, and bowls on their own. The workshop focuses on the teapot: it does not cover the basics of throwing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eProvided by the studio\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eFor non-members of Klayit Open Studio: 254 high-temperature stoneware · throwing and trimming tools · calipers · drilling tools · assembly tools.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eStudio members are invited to use the 254 stoneware clay ordered for themselves at the studio.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePractical Information\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat\u003c\/strong\u003e · 2 intensive days — demonstration, guided practice, individual feedback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLevel\u003c\/strong\u003e · intermediate \/ advanced\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSchedule\u003c\/strong\u003e · \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eSaturday: 10:00-12:00 13:00-16:30 \u0026amp; Sunday 10:00-13:00\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStudio\u003c\/strong\u003e · Klayit Renens-Gare or Klayit Genève Nation\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGroup\u003c\/strong\u003e · 4 participants maximum. 2 participants minimum\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrice\u003c\/strong\u003e · 390.-CHF, all-inclusive, Active members of the KLAYIT Open Studio enjoy a preferential price of 350.– CHF.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLanguage\u003c\/strong\u003e · Workshop held exclusively in English.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eGeneral Terms and Conditions\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease select your date and time carefully. We do not refund or reschedule bookings. We recommend adding your booked workshop to your calendar, as we do not send reminders.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you cannot attend a workshop, you may transfer your ticket to another person.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"KLAYIT","offers":[{"title":"Genève Nations | November 7-8","offer_id":58214521012606,"sku":null,"price":390.0,"currency_code":"CHF","in_stock":true},{"title":"Renens Gare | November 14-15","offer_id":58214521045374,"sku":null,"price":390.0,"currency_code":"CHF","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0529\/5151\/5323\/files\/KIKI04.jpg?v=1791833703","url":"https:\/\/klayit.ch\/en\/products\/masterclass-theiere-avec-kiki-cui","provider":"KLAYIT","version":"1.0","type":"link"}