07x07 - Episode 7

[bunniefuu]

It's week seven

and our six remaining potters
are using light

and shade to make
a modern lighting sculpture.

Eh... Oh.

What happened?

Wh...?

Ah, sorry about that. Ha!

Don't know what happened.

Probably a fuse or something.

Anyway, as I was saying,
our potters are using light and shade

to... Oh, come on.

What's going on?

Guys!

Sorry.

They're using light and...

They're using light and sh-...

They're using light and...!

Seriously, this is ri...

They're using light and shade to...
Oh!

Our...

Sinead!

Welcome to the
Great Pottery Throw Down!

I thought I was the evil twin?

Last time...

The potters took on a novelty
majolica teapot challenge...

The Holy Grail of teapots will pour
like a Venetian fountain.

..where nerves were strained...

My teapot just collapsed.

..and emotions stirred.

I feel like I've found
a part of myself

that I didn't realise was missing.

And whilst Donna bagged herself
the top spot...

I really like the novelty aspect.
It's amazing.

..Cadi's cuppa failed to hit
the right spot...

Yeah, bit of a drip.

..and she became the sixth potter
to leave the pottery.

This time...

Hello. Oh! Oh!

Oh, wow, they're massive sausages.

..the potters aim to light up
the pottery...

Did it crack? It did crack, yeah.
That's it there.

Oh.

..with abstract light sculptures.

Really hard, what I'm trying to do.

There's a lot of jeopardy
with this.

But who will shine through?

Awesome. I love it.

And for who will it be lights out?

What were you thinking, woman?

Looks like a pile of boobs.

Making Time by The Creation.

♪ Making time

♪ sh**ting lines

♪ People have their uses

♪ People have their uses... ♪

Northern Lites
by Super Furry Animals.

It's week seven in the pottery

and our six remaining potters
are about

to face their most complicated
challenge yet.

It is an abstract light sculpture

with porcelain and black clay.

The light will really bring
the pieces to life

but getting to that point is
going to be tricky.

♪ There's a distant light

♪ Distant light... ♪

The theme is light and dark.

And some people have taken that
very literally.

It's gonna be an emotional week.

It's going be one of those
challenges as well

that brings us closer together.

I'm using clays I've never
used before

and using techniques I've only
just learnt.

So... I think we can safely say
anything could happen here!

Welcome back, potters.

For your main make challenge
this week

the judges would like you to make

a modern lighting sculpture.

Keith, any advice for this challenge?

We're asking you to make three
individual pieces

that will come together
around a light bulb

to create a beautiful sculpture
that will be lit from inside.

Now, two of the pieces will be made
from white porcelain

and the third piece from
smooth black clay.

To prevent cross-contamination,

we're giving you two wheels
to work with.

This is a once-fired challenge

and you won't have any
glazes or oxides to use.

The beautiful aesthetic
in your finished pieces

will come from the form and
surface texture that you create.

We really want you to consider
light and shade,

so think about how that light will
come through that thin porcelain

and try to incorporate that
into your design.

We're looking for abstract modern
lighting sculptures

with that wow factor.

And I'm looking forward
to all of you wowing me!

All right, then.

Potters, you have three hours

to make your modern
lighting sculpture

and your time starts...

..now!

The main criteria, I think,
will be what happens to the light

going through the sculpture
in different ways.

As well as mastering the relationship
between light and clay,

the potters also have
to construct each element

of their sculpture in different ways.

We are slab building,
throwing and coiling.

There's a lot to do today.

Oh, my goodness.

And, if that wasn't already
challenging enough,

two of the elements
must be made from porcelain,

a notoriously difficult clay
to create forms with.

Porcelain is completely
unforgiving about water,

it just absorbs water
and turns into mush

or it just dries out
and turns into powder.

It's so thin.

Which makes it a
fabulous material to use

but also incredibly challenging.

Well, here we are, Rich, week seven,

and it's a really interesting
challenge between light and shade.

We've asked our potters
to make three separate sculptures

that come together
to form one piece

and within the porcelain,
one is going to be slab built,

one's going to be thrown,

and with the black, that's going
to be coiled with a thrown element.

We're looking for an abstract
sculpture, aren't we?

Allowing our potters
to really tell a story,

maybe a really quite
meaningful story,

about their lives.

But we've also got the light,
and that's something

to be considered throughout their
whole piece.

There's a number of ways
they might approach

that light emitting from
their sculpture.

They might leave gaps in
their making.

They might try
and make the porcelain

so thin that it
becomes translucent.

And what better clay
to use than porcelain?

If you get it right, you can
get some amazing results.

Yeah, but that translucency,
it has to be super thin

and if it's not thin enough,
it'll be too dense

and the light won't shine
through it.

Absolutely, and it's a
once-fired challenge, isn't it?

Our potters haven't
got any glazes... No.

..any oxides with which
to fall back on for the decoration.

Everything that they put into this
in terms of texture

and form is going to come through
their making.

I just hope judging is an
illuminating experience this week.

I can see what you did there.

Hi, Jan. Hi, guys.

Tell us about your design.

Right, the dark part of
the three sculptures,

for me it was my cancer diagnosis.

So, I've selected a malignant cell.

Oh, I see, right.
And that it what it looks like.

But this is also celebrating
the light of my life

that is my family and friends
and colleagues

that have supported me through
all of the dark times in my life.

Flowing over Jan's
black clay cell will be

a slab-built porcelain wave
representing her love of pottery

and dancing.

And for her loved ones who encouraged
her bucket list activities,

Jan has a special tribute planned.

So, as opposed to one big
thrown piece, my solution was

to throw 16 small orbs
and turn them into a cloud of love.

Nice! Yeah!

Yeah, well, nothing like giving
yourself a challenge, is there?

And they just balance on top
of each other. Sure.

And create a sort of art.
Like profiteroles.

Like a...
Yeah, like a profiterole stack

without the chocolate.

Oh, pointless.
Pointless profiteroles.

Fingers crossed I can get it
done in the time.

Well, we'll leave you to it, then.
You're at your happy place.

I'm in my happy place.
The wheel with porcelain.

Do you know what?
It's a dream come true, this.

Two clays to work with today, so I'm
going to really try and focus

on no contamination of the two.

With a thrown element required
for each clay,

the potters have been given two
wheels for this challenge.

Two wheels, yes.

That is great for me because I
like to keep things clean and tidy.

I'm not touching the black until
after I've finished the white.

And while Jan is throwing small...

Still got loads to go.
Oh, no, I'm on four!

Look at that.
Further ahead than I thought.

..Dan is going big.

It's really hard,
what I'm trying to do.

Throwing it thin, translucency,
and then cutting it

is like layers upon layers of...

Ooh!

No, it's gone.

Yeah, it's difficult.

Hi, lovey.
How's it going? All right, Dan?

How are you, all right? Yeah, good.

Good. Well, look,
tell us about your design.

I was living in Spain.

The relationship I was in
had failed

and so I was just like,

"Let's go home,
but let's make it fun,"

so I kind of decided to
kayak up the coast.

You decided to kayak home
from Spain?

Yeah, I just thought, you know,
clear your head, bit of time alone.

Yeah. Kayaking at night to avoid
the sunshine. At night?

Well, yeah, it's just too hot, so...
Yeah.

Sneak off in the dark and then
you're kayaking into the sunlight,

so you get that lovely kind of dawn.
Blimey. Lovely.

Dan's coiled kayak will feature
thrown and altered wings

and be sailing along a slab-built sea

towards the sunrise of a halved
and trimmed thin porcelain bowl.

So, that big bowl will
hopefully be thin enough

to get a bit of translucency. Yeah.

So, is that bowl on its side
es essentially?

Yeah, I'm going to cut
the bottom off. Right.

And tweak it in a little bit
so it stands up. Right.

Wow, I mean,
it's not short on ambition.

There's a lot in there, yeah.
Yeah, there is a lot in there.

It sounds really good. Dan.
Good luck with it all.

I do love the finish of porcelain,

it's just learning how
to work with it, I suppose.

It just makes simple things
more difficult.

Porcelain is not an easy clay to form

due to its tiny mineral composition

that requires moisture throughout
the shaping process.

Right now, it's starting
to go wobbly.

It's cos it's getting too wet.

But if the potters over-compensate
with too much water,

it will lose its shape and collapse.

All throughout when
you're throwing with it,

you've gotta reassure it at
every turn.

You've really gotta love it.
It's a diva.

Every single time.

This is a big challenge,
throwing my porcelain.

Had a bit of an issue
with that last week,

so I need to up my game today.

While Donna may not be confident
behind the wheel with porcelain,

it's a previous erosion of
self-confidence that's behind her design.

My design is called The Ascent,
and it's based on

some periods of my life
when I was younger. I was...

Had a great job, just got married,

and one day I just woke up
and felt empty, and...

..was...

I ended up in a period
of quite dark depression

for about, I would say,
about a year.

Out of the tangled black clay
of Donna's depression

will emerge slab-built layers
of responsibilities

into thrown and altered cylinders

to represent her feelings
of positivity today.

The more I talked,

the more the load got
a little bit lighter

and there will be little glimmers
of all of those moments,

you know, where people were there
for me or, you know... Yeah.

..took me through it, yeah.

Interestingly, it looks like kind of
order emerging from chaos somehow.

Yeah, into the period of time
that I'm in now,

I discovered that making for me was
a huge part of that.

Letting your brain just get lost in
the process in the making?

Kind of get into that flow state.
Into that flow, yeah.

It feels quite cathartic
kind of just putting it out there.

Because, you know,
I was always the class clown,

I was the one that was making
everybody else smile.

Yeah, I know the feeling.

Well, look, good luck with it all.
Yeah. Thank you.

Yeah, carry on.
Really good luck. Thank you.

Thanks, Donna.
Super. Thanks a million. Thank you.

Many of the potters are creating
their abstract sculptures

to reflect their own
life experiences.

I think it's nice this week
to have a bit of a change,

to go kind of down a personal route.

And I do love work that makes
you think or provoke a feeling

or people can relate
to in a certain way.

Maybe not for my reason,

but actually they see it
in a different way.

I think that's really nice.

But much like the pieces
they're making,

it's all about light
coming out of the dark.

My design is based on struggles
with sort of anxiety

and mental health.
Like, a couple of years ago,

I wouldn't have thought
I'd have been doing this,

and I want to kind of show
that real growth and kind of...

..I suppose the light at the end
of the tunnel, in a sense.

Sophie's black clay
of anxiety will be surrounded

by a thrown and slab-built
wave of porcelain

which will be carved
to let light through

to indicate that light will always
appear out of the dark times.

So, it's kind of like coming out of
the other side feeling really good.

Fantastic.
Shade, it might always be there,

but it's not like
the forefront of everything.

Yeah, no that's right, exactly.

Porcelain, is it something that
you've worked with a lot of?

I've never slab built

and I've never done
sort of big things with it, so...

Obviously, you want it as thin
as possible, don't you?

But then it's got to stand upright.

I don't want it to warp too much.
Yeah.

So I'm moving onto
the slab-built section.

This is the slab-built sea

so I need loads of thin,
thin slabs.

Hi, Dan. Hey, Siobhan.

Are you on time? Can I do this?
I'm a little bit behind.

Yeah, if you do a little,
I'll add it in.

Think you might have saved me.
Found my calling.

Yeah, we'll add it on to the former.

There we go. That's how you roll.

If you need any help... Thank you.

Trying to make it a thing.
Apparently nobody's done it before.

A handshake. A handshake?

The baking fella.

I only thought of that now.
I don't watch it.

You don't watch it?

Barely watch this. "I ba..."

Sorry.

No, I don't mean that.

Get out. Get your canoe!

Whatever shapes
the potters are planning,

the relationship between
light and clay

needs to be at
the forefront of their minds.

Going thin with the porcelain
gets you that transparency.

But with porcelain prone
to cracking as it dries out,

manipulating it into shape will make

an already delicate structure
even weaker.

I need light to be able
to come through

but it needs to stand up
nicely on its own.

Whether it will or not is
another matter.

And due to the nature of his design,
Dave is very keen

for his translucent light
to be seen by the naked eye.

So, I've been rather literal.

The inspiration for it is
the iris of the eye

which treats light before
it comes into your eye.

So, I really need to get this
as thin as possible

otherwise it's just not going
to be translucent.

But the thinner I go,
the more risky it is.

There's a lot of jeopardy
with this.

Like the iris of the eye,

Dave's abstract sculpture
seeks to control and alter light

as it travels from the source
to the viewer.

He intends to achieve this by
exploiting the translucent,

reflective and diffusive qualities
of the porcelain.

As a child I grew up in Birkenhead.

Going through the Mersey tunnel
to Liverpool,

your eyes begin to adjust.

It's just dark and then it
becomes clear.

As a small child I was just amazed
with that.

The first time, really,
that you're aware that your body

does something very peculiar.

Well, this a very big porcelain
slab that has translucency to it.

Yeah. It's quite upright. Wow.

What are you trying to say, Rich,
I'm...? I don't know, I just, wow...

I'm getting... I'm confused.
That's quite a challenge.

I've practised it. OK.

And do you know how successful
I've been? Yeah, go on.

None. Been very unsuccessful.
Love it.

That slab thickness is critical

to allowing the light
to come through.

As a light fitting,
that's quite important.

I know.

Potters you're halfway through.

Halfway through.

What? Yeah.

That's a bit harsh.

I...

I mean, you do know
I just see the time and I say it?

I actually have no
control with the time.

I'm not sure I believe that.

I want it to look like
a wave coming over the light.

It's representative of
an appreciation for

the small things in life.

I'm a much nicer person when

I'm doing things like dancing
or pottery.

Yeah, I get very annoyed by things.

I know that might come as a shock.

We'd never have noticed, Siobhan.

Nobody thinks I get grumpy, right?
No, no, no.

What's happened?
What have you done to her, Jan?

While some potters are constructing
pieces with a special meaning to them...

So I'm just shaping my slab
to try and look like fabric.

..Steven's inspiration is centred
around someone close to him.

Hi, Steven. Hello.
How are we doing?

Yeah, good thank you.

Why don't you tell us about
your design.

Um, so it, um...

Sorry.

Um...

You OK? Yeah, yeah.

It's an emotional one, yeah?
Yeah, it's an emotional one.

So it's... it's kind of...

It's dedicated to someone,
and it's...

It's kind of about life
and death and kind of,

birth and death and kind of the
passing on of energy.

Like, energy never dies, you know?

It's that kind of... it just
goes round.

It just keeps moving.

So it's that kind of...
I want to encapsulate that.

Steven's poignant piece is about
the transference of life.

A thrown porcelain baby vase

will be nestled into a mother vase

and draped over both will be
a large porcelain slab

in the form of a bedsheet.

It's going to be tricky

and I've kind of bitten off
a bit more than I can chew.

What, in terms of
the subject matter?

In both subject matter and, uh...
And the clay.

And the clay itself. OK, right.
So, yeah.

So, in terms of the build,
what are you most worried about?

So, I think it's the slab bit that
I'm most worried about.

Right.
And that kind of... the draping over

and it being so thin,
it's prone to cracks.

Yeah, some of those fissures
and cracks

and the material properties of the
clay could work in your favour...

Yeah. Yeah... really, in terms
of telling that story, really.

Yeah. Well, look, Steven,
regardless of how it turns out,

I hope it gives you some solace.
Yeah.

It's the process, isn't it,
as much as the end result?

Yeah. Well done. Cool, thank you.
Carry on. Thank you.

One hour remaining, potters.

Oh, my God.

You get that? Got it.

Job done.

I don't think I took into
consideration washing up time.

Now it's the black stuff.

Feels like sandpaper.

It's so messy.

The black clay must be made
into a coiled sculpture

with a thrown element.

Oh, God.

I don't know what I was expecting.

Oh, wow, they're massive sausages.

The black clay is as
different to the porcelain

as their dark piece
needs to be from their light piece.

I'm coiling my malignant cell

and that's the dark in my life.

In quite a lot of people's
lives, actually.

Quite a significant number of women
don't realise how important it is

to get themselves checked.

And the support from
all of the breast clinics,

they're just amazing, so go,
check yourself.

It'll save your life.

So, this piece is kind of like
an unravelling piece of thread

to represent that kind of
heaviness of all your thoughts

when you're in
a bit of a dark place.

My cat once had
a complaint like this.

Sorry. Have I lowered the tone?

No, it's just the light relief that
I needed there, Dave.

These are my bars to find
the light shining through.

And is it about losing someone?

Yeah, it's quite a tricky subject.

Yeah. It's, you know.

I mean it's probably not the best
idea to go on national TV... No.

..and kind of put yourself through
a kind of therapy,

but it's going to mean a hell
of a lot to me, no matter what.

Do you know what I mean?

So it's something that
I'd want to make anyway,

so why not make it on TV?
Why not make it on TV?

And you don't have to pay
for the porcelain. Exactly, yeah.

This is for my kayak. I'm going to
make the wings out of this,

so hopefully this lip'll rip.

Yeah, look at that!

The porcelain is like throwing
with butter.

This is like throwing with sand.

And the two clays are also vastly
different once they're dry.

Porcelain has a 19% shrinkage,
which is massive.

And the black I believe it's 10%.

And as Dave is planning on joining
his light and dark pieces

to each other, he needs to be certain
his measurements are correct.

This should, after firing,
be the same proportions as

the porcelain slab that
I've made there

if everything works according
to my maths,

but this is off the scale
of difficulty for me.

How are we getting on? Yeah, good.

Will you be finished in time?

I don't know, how long have we got?
Not that long.

In that case, I'd better hurry up.
That's right.

Final ten minutes, potters.

Final ten minutes.

Just want to get it a bit ripped.

I need to touch my porcelain,
but I daren't. Yeah!

I just daren't.

Oh, we're back onto white, are we?
Uh, yeah...

Still in line for finishing
quite soon? Uh, yeah.

That's what I like to hear.
Do what you want.

Oh, don't fall over little man.

I'm a woman on a mission today.

How are you getting on?

I'm OK, I just need this
to dry a bit now

so that in refine time I can get
the last height on this.

Yeah, OK.

Do you want a hand?
Could you get the handle?

Thanks. You're welcome, Steve.

- You're the best.
- What did you do to my door?

Is it... it's fixed? Cleaned it.

It's done.

One minute left, final minute.

I wish I hadn't thought of
so many pieces now.

Oh, Steven the fabric's
looking great.

Sophie! It's seconds!
Just need it flatter.

What you puzzling about?

I'm just wondering whether
to leave it in or take it out.

Five, four, three, two, one.

That's it, well done everyone.

Step away from your benches.

Very well done.

You deserve a break after that.

Potters dismissed.

I think there's
a time warp in this pottery

and three hours isn't actually
three hours.

It's about 45 minutes.

When you teach to a timetable,

you've got a pretty good gauge
of how long an hour is,

but you go into the pottery
and they just disappear.

A little nervous about the waves,

cos they're getting quite dry

and I've gotta build it into
a big porcelain sculpture.

I've taken a risk with that,
so we'll see if it pays off.

This is a whole another level,
I think.

It's porcelain, abstract,

and then all the techniques of
pottery that you could imagine

in one make.

The potters are back
to face their second challenge.

Oh, there's a heat g*n.
Oh, gosh what's it going to be?

And, as ever, they don't know
what is awaiting them

underneath the hessian.

Welcome back, potters,
to your second challenge,

and this week it's...

..a spot test.

And to tell us more about it,

we have a very special guest judge.

Please give a very warm welcome
to Ashraf Hanna!

Come on out.

Welcome.

Hello. Hello.
Welcome, welcome, welcome.

Lovely to be here.

World-renowned sculptural artist
and ceramicist Ashraf Hanna

is known for creating abstract pots
that combine rigid geometric shapes

with fluid organic forms.

Arguably as famous for his own
commercially available clay

as he is for his own creations,

Ashraf has exhibited his voluminous,
voluptuous vessels globally,

including at London's
prestigious V&A.

Let's have a look at some
of his work.

Oh, wow.

Look at their faces, they're like,
mm, delighted and terrified.

So what really I'm looking for here

is transformation between
two forms.

One is geometric, the other is
more fluid and organic.

How they merge into one another
is really what I'm looking for.

So, we start by making the base.

What clay is it, Ashraf?

It is the Ashraf Hanna clay.

And I've chosen a triangular shape.

You can do a diamond or
a rectangle or a square.

So now the shape is more or less
there, I will open it up.

You can use one of these little
kidneys to pull it, the clay, up.

And before we go any further,
it's very important to dry the base.

So I will use a heat g*n.

It's a case of drying it enough
to continue the next stage.

Here is a piece that's dry enough
to actually continue.

So, moving this on,

I mitre the edges
so you have stronger joints.

Now and again,
cut a chunky bit of clay.

You take off quite sizeable
chunks there, Ashraf.

I try to make big coils which
I flatten

and allows me to develop the form
much quicker than just coiling.

Sure.

After rolling, I can use
the palm of my hand,

the heel, and then a rolling pin

and once I've sort
of flattened it enough,

I will just add
a little bit of water.

Because of that surface there
that I created before,

it just sits on top of it.

Once I've done that,

pull the clay up from the inside.

And as you do that,
you're joining as well as modelling.

Then I will do the same on
the outside

with no trace of joins.

So, to develop this further,

here you can see at
the leather hard stage,

and you can just use your tools,
letting your imagination run with it

and make your designs and have fun.

OK.

I'm looking for consistency,
clarity of lines,

try to refine the edges

because all these qualities,
when they come together,

they contribute towards
making a successful piece.

OK, then, potters, this is
going to be judged blind

so I'm going to ask the judges
to get out of here!

Go on, out you get!

OK, potters,
you have been given one hour

for this second challenge,
and your time starts now.

Ashraf Hanna!
You know, it's quite a big deal.

He's a real potter's potter.

Your face when Ashraf came out...

Was it excitement?

It was excitement.

Have you tried to do that kind
of stuff before?

No, I just took one look at it
and thought,

"Well, I'm never going
to be able to do that."

You might be able
to climb into it, though.

What I'm going to aim
for is something

that is taller at one side
than the other.

Like a loaf of bread that's been
baked in an uneven oven.

Have you designed a plan?

Yeah, it's just here. All here.

You're going to do that?
Not sure yet.

OK, well I look forward
to not seeing that. Bye-bye.

Thank you.

I think timing's going to be
super important.

You've got to get it dry
to be able to join sections.

It's certainly being altered by
the heat.

Once the potters are happy
their bases are dry enough,

they can attempt to attach slabs
to create a fluid form on top.

Hooray. Hold it.

I don't really know how it's
hanging on.

Little bit too long.

Keeping the whole thing upright

is probably the trickiest part
of this challenge.

Oh, you're making a hames of this.

This is... this is so floppy.

I'm having an absolute ball!
Isn't this amazing?

Potters, you're halfway through.

Halfway through!

Can't be right, check your watch.

I take it back, 29 minutes left.

We're over halfway through,
marvellous.

It's not terrible, but it's not
quite the shape I had in my head.

I might try and get my head
or my elbow,

you know, something that's
going to make an imprint.

Normally I'd ask you
to turn this off when we're having

a very deep conversation,
but you need to dry this, don't you?

Yeah. Are you going to do it
another level?

We'll see, I might try and
add it now,

just get it on, and then I can
refine, so... Lovely.

OK, great, well now that it's off
and you can hear me properly,

I'll leave you. Bye-bye.

Multitasking.

This is the mum trying
to do two things at once.

I need four arms,

one to have the heat going
constantly on it.

Hello. Oh!

Ooh! How, how?

Look, I'm hardly a ninja.

Trying to use the rib,

trying to get this kind of nice
and sharp.

That's better. That's a bit better.

I need to cut this edge off
and then get it nice,

cos that's one of the main
features of his pots.

Yeah, it's, uh...

All right, well, on your suggestion.

If it ruins it, this is your fault,
yeah?

Oh, actually, that's not bad.

Right.

Ten minutes left, potters.

Two more minutes for drying

and then I'm going to fettle
like hell.

Refine, refine, refine.

Bit of me in there.

Final minute.

Oh, where's my sponge?

Oh, toothbrush.

The finishing is just so hard.

Just want to get the edge perfect.

Argh!

Ten seconds left.

Ooft.

Ten, nine, eight, seven,

six, five, four,

three, two, one.

Tools down, step away
from your forms.

With Keith unfortunately
feeling under the weather,

Ashraf and Rich will now blind judge
the abstract vessels.

So, you've been very busy.

They are looking for
a smooth transition between

the geometric and the organic shapes,

an even consistency with
a sense of movement,

and a smooth, refined finish
with a tapered rim.

Let's have a good look at this.

There's a definite movement in
the form.

I can see that you've tried
to refine the edge here,

which is lovely.

It's very flared out, isn't it?
From the rectangle.

It has a nice dynamic,
so well done.

This one here I think that there is
a definite attempt

to actually address the relationship
between the two forms,

but could benefit from
a little bit more refinement.

This one here, the interior is
finished to a good standard.

It has this unquantifiable thing
that you only feel something that

has been well made.

It feels like a slightly more fluid
transition compared

to some of the others, perhaps.

Yeah, it's lovely.

The form did sag a little bit,

but a very good start.

But lost control a little bit
on the top bit here.

Now, I like what's happened here

because it has a nice thin
and consistent quality on the top.

And then it gives birth
to this lovely voluptuous shape

that's built out and then
comes back in,

so it has a different energy
that's going through it.

Again, the lines here help
to draw my eye around the piece.

It does feel somehow more
multi-faceted where it

sort of flattens off again
on the top.

Yeah, and this is
a sudden change of direction,

which is echoed by this side.

All in all, a very good effort.

Ashraf and Rich will now rank
the vessels from worst to first.

In sixth place I have
chosen this piece here.

Jan!

I would've liked
to see more definition

on the shape itself, but well done.
Thank you.

In fifth place is Steven,

and fourth is Dave.

Number three, this piece here.

Sophie.

Sophie. Well done, lovely movement.

Thank you.

Number two...

is this lovely piece here.
Whose is this?

Mine.

Good, solid, competent form.

So, the winner of today's challenge
is this piece here.

That's Dan!

You have a sense of energy

and a nice finish on the rim.

So, well done, congratulations.

Thank you, thanks.

Well done, everyone,
and a huge thank you to Ashraf.

Thank you so much for that.

And go and have a rest
and we'll see you later on.

Potters dismissed.

Ooh!

Yeah, I think Donna wants
to go back for a recount, so...

Oh, I can't believe it.

He's poking me in the back
and laughing as that was going on.

I absolutely loved that.
That was amazing.

I'm used to coming last in
second challenges,

but it'd be nice if the main make
turned out OK.

If light comes through any of it,
it'll be a minor miracle. Yeah.

The potters are back to continue
with their now leather-hard

abstract light sculptures...

Let's get back to it, then.

..ready to refine, assemble
and perfect their three pieces.

I'm doing carving, I'm doing
trimming, I'm doing altering.

I'm doing joining.

I don't think there's anything
else that you could do.

Here we go again.

I'm altering everything thrown.

There's going to be a lot to do
and a lot of one chance

big cuts and big alters with things.
It'll be exciting.

Welcome back, potters.

Your black and white sculptures
have been drying

and are now ready to be refined.

Any advice at this stage
for our lovely potters?

This is where you'll create
that surface texture

that really plays with the light.

So think carefully how you want
to create those textures,

and choose your tools wisely.

Now that your components are
leather-hard, you'll be able to see

if they fit together to create that
modern sculpture you've designed.

I would urge you to try to step back
and look at the piece as a whole

and, as with anything creative,
know when to stop.

Use your tools wisely and know
when to stop.

That's sage advice at any time, I
think.

All right then, potters.

You have three hours
to refine your sculptures,

and your time starts...

..now.

To the drying room!

I'm happy. It's holding its shape
and it's still moving,

so I'm still being able to get
it into the right position.

I thought that would be in bits,
but it's not yet,

so time yet for me
to make a mess of it.

But not everyone has emerged
from the drying room unscathed.

I've got quite a
big crack down at the front

just where it's dried in.

I think one side is pulled
and the other side is pulled.

I just need to be really careful.

It's quite brittle.

The judges are looking for abstract
light sculptures

that are interesting in form
and texture.

Adding this section that will kind
of like wrap around.

And with no glazing or decoration in
this challenge...

Once fired piece, nowhere
to hide at all.

..in order to achieve a beautiful
finish,

it's all about the refining.

This is called fettling.

Smoothing off the rough edges,
tidying up areas,

making sure that the finish looks
really on point.

I've got bumps going that way,
and I've introduced waves

going this way with my fingers
in the grooves.

But with the porcelain
being so delicate...

Oh, it's really thin. I don't know
I dare go much more than that.

..too much pressure and their pieces
could end up in pieces.

How thin are you getting, Sophie?

Don't know. Hopefully, like, as
thin as I can get it.

Hello, Dave. Ah, hello.

So you're confident all of the structural
elements are coming together and...?

Confidence is overstated.
OK.

It's just getting it to be thin
enough to see through. Yeah.

I have a tendency to work
on stuff until I break it.

Oh, really? Just know when to stop.

Yeah, although you do have to
chance your arm a bit. Yeah.

And I think with your design, if
it's not thin enough... It needs it.

Because otherwise it'll be a big
blank canvas of nothing.

Yeah. With no light coming through.
Yeah, yeah.

I'm keeping it fairly smooth.

I mean, these are kind of my texture
marks, which hopefully light's

going to be able to shine
through a little bit.

As well as the clay working with the
light...

Yeah. Just that idea of, um, the
shade always moving,

it's never going to be in one place

and the light will always somehow
find a way out.

..the potters need to consider
how their sculptures interact

as an overall piece in order
to help tell their stories.

So this is the piece that represents
my period of depression.

And then the coils are to represent
all of the conversations

that I had that helped me to ascend
back to this place

where I could see the light again.

I'm trying to make the sun. If you've
been paddling in the dark for five hours,

it's quite nice to see the dawn.

I've got the mother vase
and the baby vase that sits inside.

Tell me about the light side.

Yeah, so the light side
is the birth of a child.

And the dark side? And the dark
side is the kind of death of the mother...

The mother? ...Of the child. Yeah.
Did it happen around the same time?

Yeah, yeah. I mean, within the kind
of... The hour, you know?

Oh, right, OK. So it's kind of
like...

But then there was kind of such
a joy

of this kind of life that came
out of it.

Oh, beautiful.
So this would represent the illness?

What illness was it? So this is...
It was cancer.

It was cancer? Yeah. But, I mean, I
met the baby for the first time,

like, not too long ago, which is
incredible. Yeah.

Oh, wow. How are they?
They're good. Yeah, yeah.

Healthy and doing fine, yeah. That's
beautiful.

Yeah, yeah. The light shines
through. Well, that's wonderful.

Thank you for telling me.
Now don't mess it up.

No! Yeah.

Oh, no! No, it's fine.

I've now got one left, so I'm being
real cautious with this guy.

There's obviously huge amounts
of stress involved in that shape.

Potters!

Half...

..way...

..through!

Thank you!

So we should have a diffused
light coming out of this.

You know, I'm hoping that
the impression of an eye treating

light in some way before it reaches
your brain comes across.

I'm just hoping the light's going
to come through these little holes

in between the clouds.

When I threw them, they all looked
like boobs with n*pples.

I think it was subliminal.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Abstract.

Breast cancer? Yeah. Both sides.

Gosh. But, you know, you
spend years then having treatments

and... Follow ups? Yeah. And then
end of January it was,

"Right. We think we're all right."
And then a phone call in February.

"Oh, we think we might have missed
something. Can you come back in and...?"

Yeah. And I had the same thing this
week.

So I'm waiting... This week?
This week, yeah.

So that's very much the dark,

and very much your present
at the moment?

But the light in my life are my
family and friends. Yeah.

And so the white outweighs the dark.
Yes. Most definitely.

Well, that's beautiful. I love
hearing that.

I'll leave you back to your
definitely not boob-shaped..

I think you just missed a nipple
there, but, uh,

we'll see you later for more
abstraction.

I got you, I got you. Right.

Whoop!

Jeez. Goner, I think.

I am feeling a bit worried
seeing how some of the potters

are treating the porcelain.

It makes me feel anxious
just looking at them.

Dan and his bowl, watching him pick
it up and flex it and move it.

I mean, that's the last thing
you want to do with a thin piece

of porcelain. Undermining the
structure.

I found that fairly painful
to watch.

Sophie's got a huge slab,

but one section of it is
actually attached like that.

Just joined. Just joined.

Edge to edge.

As it starts to shrink,
it's all going to be pulling

against that very fine edge.

We want these things
to be really refined.

We want to see that fluidity
of the porcelain.

Donna... Donna... is the only one

who's got the bulk of the structure
together.

She's not really doing any
more sticking and changing.

She's fettling... Fettling.
..and refining.

So she has put the clay together
in its wet state, and she's not

asking any more of it.

You can't use the usual rules
with porcelain

that you would use for any other
clay.

They've all underestimated
how fragile porcelain is.

Oh, it's so dry!

I'm rebuilding my wave.

It just crumbled when I tried
to build it because it was too dry.

So this is the bit that works
in my head, not in reality.

Potters, half an hour to go.



Big smile from Dave.

You're delighted? It's all right.

It's going quite well so far. Is it?
Yeah.

Oh, I love hearing that.

Clearly that'll be very dramatic
when it all goes horribly wrong.

It's incredibly fragile
and brittle, but...

..it stands up.

Just put my white
hand on the black thing.

Oh, no, you did not!
Yeah. What a twit.

How are you getting on? Yeah, well,
I mean,

I dried the last one a bit too much,
I think.

Did it crack? It did crack,
yeah.

That's it there.

Oh. It's not as, kind of,
like,

textured as the other one,
but... I think it's lovely.

Done. Yeah.

Great. Ooh!

I'm a bit tired after that, I might
have a sit down.

How many hours have we got left?

Potters!

Ten minutes left.

Ten minutes left.

Whoa!

Like a fettling ninja here, Dan.

I always said that about you.

Just moving it from here to the
drying room

is going to be a
mission, but as long as it's in one

piece, then that's absolutely fine.

Cracks means more ability
for this light to get through.

What do you think about these wings?
I like the wings.

There's a little poke in the face
there that's making it look

like a penguin that You might want
to get rid of. So much like a penguin.

Going to take one look at this and
go,

"What were you thinking, woman?

"It looks like a pile of boobs."

Stop fussing with it when
you've done enough.

That might be me finished.

We've talked about it.
You've dealt with it.

You've put all that to rest now.

One minute left, potters. Final
minute. One minute?! Oh, my gosh!

And a reminder that everything needs
to be in the drying room.

Oh, that'll have to do.

Do you want anything in the drying
room? Yes. Yeah. Thank you.

Ten seconds.

Nine... Dan, would you be able
to...?

..eight, seven...
Wet.

..six, five...

Oh, God! You've got it.
You've got it.

..three...
Go, go, go!

..two... Thank you!

..ooooooooooooooone...

..one.

Well done!
Well, well done.

That is it.

What a day today!

I'm absolutely done in.

I didn't realise abstract art
was so involved or so draining.

It's come out the way I planned,
I think.

I'm just worried about the lie cos I
rushed the carving at the end.

If it's going to be thin
enough, I don't know.

So, yeah, I'm a little bit worried.

My wall of waves is extraordinarily
fragile.

I'm going to have some restless
nights worrying about Dan's piece.

It's very risky.

I will eat my bow tie if Dan
pulls this off.

♪ Nowhere to run to, baby... ♪

It's judgment day, and the potters
are about to discover

how their abstract lights
have fared in the kiln.

I can't wait, you know? I was very
apprehensive about this whole

abstract business, but I'm really,
really excited

to see how they come out.

There's only been one firing,
so there's no space to hide

with any decoration.

I just hope that my concept
can carry through.

Please be in one piece.

Yeah, I had a bad week last week,
so I need something good to come

out of that kiln.

Wow!

Oh, it survived!

Oh, I could kiss Rose!

They do not stand up.

They're going to have to be leaning.

Everything OK? They're there,

but the shrinkage rate calculation
I've done is clearly not right.

Well done, potters.

Your light sculptures look amazing.

Sophie, would you please
bring your light sculptures

up to the judges?

Well, first of all, Sophie,
I just have to congratulate

you on that join.

I mean, that is quite amazing.

It survived.

I love the black clay.

I'm not quite sure, though, however,

you've really captured the fluidity
of the porcelain.

I realise that you've scribed
those marks to make that porcelain

thinner, to hopefully, fingers
crossed, make

that light come through.

Yeah. But it would have been nice
just to see that finessed

a bit more. That's very, very sharp.

It's just a bit sharp in the wrong
places.

You've got quite a thick edge
on the top here, which I don't think

helps, but I would say the build
carries your concept really well.

It'll be interesting to see
whether it's enhanced by the light,

because it does feel quite
stiff at this stage.

Well, should we see what it's like
with the light on? Yeah.

Well, you can actually see
that translucency

through that mark making.

It would have just been nice to have
it a bit more fluid.

But the carving is very,
very consistent, you know, in terms

of the depth because that's the one
thing with the light now coming

through, you can see exactly
how deep you've gone with the tool.

And actually that kind of corkscrew
twist at the top

is really quite beautiful.

Just a bit sharp around the edges.

Yeah. Thank you.

On first observation,

for me, it's the definition
of what you do with porcelain.

It's really, really wonderful.

What you've managed to do
is capture that fluidity

and that flowing movement.

And the three structures
together work really well.

Every single part of it
has been considered.

I love the mark making on these
sections, and you've done so well

not to destroy those marks,
because every fingerprint

can be seen, you know, and the fact
that this has been put together

when the clay is so incredibly
soft, really wonderful.

Well done. Thank you.

Shall we see it with the lights on?

Yeah.

I mean, it just feels full of drama.

You know, you've got the texture
on the inside

as well as the outside.

You've got the light bleeding
through.

Really clever construction.

Just fantastic. Love it.
Thank you.

You've managed to give us something
that's really full of life,

it really flows, and it really
accentuates the porcelain itself.

Awesome. Thank you.

The dark one,

I wanted it to look ugly
and menacing.

No, I get that. That was the...

That was the fear within me
on the day I made it.

But today I have new news,

my biopsy results are clear, so..
Weyy!

Fantastic news.

It was because of that malignant
force that I decided

to take up pottery,

so the wave represents the joy
and vitality I've got from the clay.

Oh, love...

Oh...

Fantastic.

Fantastic, lovey.

Such a brave thing to do.

Yeah. Sorry.

Not at all.

It's amazing.

Well, look, lovey, for me, the
loveliest part IS the wave, actually.

You've really managed to emulate
that really lovely flowing

motion of the clay itself.

What's interesting, Jan,
is that you've managed to finish

off this really well, but that not
so much.

I would agree the finish isn't quite
there on the surface, but your whole

composition has bravery written all
over it.

Yeah. I'm quite keen to see
what it looks like lit up.

You really get a sense where that
black clay is casting a complete

and utter shadow across the light
on the lower section,

and you get the light through the
carving at the top,

and then it's just completely dark.

It's a really, really nice
narrative you've woven through.

Yeah. Are you pleased?

I think it's lovely, yeah.

Great. Well done.

I really like the fact
that it is so abstract.

We've seen from you week on week,
Dave, quite literal interpretations,

so I think the fact that
you've really pushed the boat out

with form is a real step forwards,

but they feel quite disjointed
as a collection of objects.

I just wonder whether the scales
perhaps are slightly out.

It feels like the black section
is maybe slightly smaller

than it should be. I'd done
some complex calculations

with shrinkage rates.

It turns out those calculations
may be flawed.

There's something quite
Dali-esque about it.

I love the forming of this black
clay on here, but if you're going

to have pieces that fit together,
make sure they fit together...

..really. I'd be interested to see
what that element of light does

to the overall feel of it.

Phew!

Wow! Yeah.

It kind of works.

I can see your logic.

I can see what you were trying
to do there.

This could have been a bit
more fluid for me,

but I'm just pleased for
you that it's not diabolical...

Yay! ..Which is great. Um...

Another rave review by Keith Brymer
Jones. That's exactly it, yeah. Yeah.

Do you know what, Dan? The way you
finished

this black piece off is brilliant.

For me, that's the strongest part.

These cracks in the wings
and these torn edges,

I love that.

The porcelain, not so much.

All the mark making, I can see what
you've tried to do there,

sort of emulate those waves,
but it just seems a little bit

of an afterthought.

I mean, I really liked your bowls
when you were making them.

They were wonderful. Nice when
they were bowls, yeah.

It's just that forcing together

that just feels very hard
and very awkward.

But, you know, I like the way
they work together

and I think it tells your story
well. Some really lovely elements,

I think some bits
that you could work on.

All right, then - let's see
it with the lights on.

Wow.

Out of all the structures
that we've seen,

it really does transform.

Yeah. The black element casts
such a striking silhouette.

The texture, definitely enhanced
by the light.

It's kind of translucent
through this wave of porcelain.

That works really well for you.

Steven, I know this is a personal
story to you and..

..what I love about...

..the whole concept of doing
something like this

is that no matter how it turns out,
you went through a process,

and that process was making this
thing with people in mind. Mm-hm.

And...

..that, for me, is the
definition of creativity.

And I... I love it.

My God, Steven, these are
wonderful cracks.

And that's not something you hear
in the pottery that that often.

You've really managed to capture
that fluidity of the clay.

Fantastic.

I think the contrast between
the black section

and the two white sections is
powerful.

The collapsing and the cracks.

They are quite lovely.

It was brave to take that sheet
so thin and to distort it so much,

and I think the only way to go
was to embrace the imperfections

that were bound to come.

Shall we see it with the lights?

I love the light through those
cracks of that porcelain.

It's interesting how the porcelain
kind of throws the light back

onto this black, and really creating
some lovely light and shade.

That works really, really well.

It's a testament
to you and your bravery

for taking on such an emotive
subject.

Cheers, Steven. Thank you.

I feel really good that they were
able to grasp what I was going for.

I wanted to leave stuff a bit
raw, finesse other things,

so I'm glad that that translated.

Precise measurements turning
out imprecise objects.

Yeah, I mean, that wasn't great.

I think I'm certainly in jeopardy
of going.

This week has been really personal
for everyone

and really deep sort of stories.

Everyone sort of put their heart
into these pieces.

We'll have to see.

What an interesting week.

Our light sculpture brought out
these extraordinary stories.

How do you think they got on?
I think they all did well.

Many of them were incredibly
ambitious.

So who do you think did well
this week?

Donna. She really captured the
organic nature

of what porcelain can give you.

Yeah, it just had such drama.

Donna had really thought
about the effect the light

would have on the overall sculpture.

And, Steven, do you think
his lighting fixture

has elevated his chances?

Well, for me it has, yes.

Yeah? Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah. I think there was clarity
in his thinking. The way

he'd manipulated and moved
that clay, it showed real bravery.

Who didn't have a good week?

Sophie.

Although it felt confident,
It didn't really...

It was stiff, wasn't it? It was very
stiff.

As we've seen with Sophie before,

it's that attention to detail,
that finesse.

Dave did do very well with
the integration of light.

I don't think it necessarily played
to the beautiful qualities

of the porcelain. Yeah.

Well, next week is the quarterfinal
and it's been getting harder

and harder each week to say goodbye
to someone.

Yeah. Th week the challenge
was abstract,

so therefore there's that subjective
nature within the challenge.

It makes it incredibly tough,

so we just have to make sure
that we're fair and objective

about the judging process.

Well, thank you, judges.
This has been very illuminating.

Well done, potters, on another
fantastic week.

The judges have made their decision.

First, the good news.

This week's Potter of the Week is...

..someone whose work the judges
described as being full of drama.

Congratulations, Donna.
You're our Potter of the Week.

Look at that smile!

Was that a stretch of delight?
Oh, that felt really good. Thank you.

We'll keep talking, because I don't
want to do the next bit.

I don't want you to do it either.

Unfortunately, the potter who will
be leaving us this week is...

..Sophie.

Oh, buddy, buddy, buddy.

You obviously want to keep
going, course you do -

like, having the best time.

I had a gut feeling this week.
There was just something not right.

Oh!

It's just been the best
experience, I think.

I've met so many amazing people
and I've done things

I never thought I could do.

Really gutted that Sophie's going.

It was rough, yeah.

You become so close to people
really quick,

and I think we've all got on so
well.

I'm really going to miss that.

So as Sophie leaves the pottery,
Donna's abstract light sculpture

illuminates the Throw Down gallery.

Donna ticked every single
box on the brief.

She gave us a wonderful
light sculpture,

she gave us wonderful finish
within it.

It was fantastic.

That is four pieces now
in the Throw Down gallery,

and it feels unreal.

My confidence is really soaring
at the minute,

but it is a huge throwing challenge
next week.

I need to bring my A-game
for that one.

Next time...
Oh, dear!

Our potters face a throwing
challenge of epic proportions...

Just physically enormous.

..and take to the wheel for a
caffeine-inspired second challenge.

I will drink a coffee but, really,
tea's my thing.

But who will fire their way
into the semifinal..?

It's a bit like looking into the
fires of Hell.

..and become Potter of the Week?

I think it's fantastic.

And whose pottery dreams will be
going up in smoke?