Wytham supports UNESCO ceramics project

In September 2023, pupils from UNESCO ASPNet (Associated Schools Network) partner schools will convene in Kyoto, Tokyo to discuss peace-making initiatives and learn about sustainable development goals. The title of the conference is One Cup, which relates to the ancient traditions of the Japanese tea ceremony in which one tea bowl is shared by all participants. At the conference this image will be used to represent the idea that the world has 'one cup' of natural resources that must be shared equally and sustainably between nations. At the conference pupils will make ceramic tea bowls for an exhibition to be displayed in both Paris (2023) and Coventry (2024).

Ten pupils from two Coventry schools will represent the UK at this conference. To engage the wider school communities in Coventry, 800 pupils aged 9 – 16 will be invited to participate in the One Cup ceramics project.  Working with the Oxford University Kilns Project, and ceramicists from Sundragon, pupils will each create their own tea bowl. In June 2023 these will be fired in the Anagama kilns here at Wytham Woods. Pupils will have the opportunity to visit the kilns and also to take part in a Japanese tea ceremony at the Ashmolean Museum. In addition to funding outreach workshops Wytham Woods is also supporting the project by providing the wood for the firing, an essential part of the process.

The ceramic tea bowls made in Coventry and Kyoto will be exhibited at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris in November 2023 and in Coventry in 2024. The Crafts Council have expressed an interest in collaborating with the project to develop a touring exhibition.