04x08 - Native American Acoma Pottery & an Alabama Ring Bottle

[bunniefuu]

Oh, hello.
It's the quarter-final,

and with just six potters
remaining,

a first for Throw Down

as we pay homage to
North American Acoma pottery.

And apparently,
we're going to need
a lot of this.

Cow dung.

Welcome to
The Great Pottery Throw Down.

Oh, God, I'm standing in--
Oh, that's disgusting.

Last week...

...the potters built
animal water features.

- Oh, hey. Whoa.
- Even though Peter's leaked...

Yeah, maybe
we could turn it off now?
- Yeah.

- Yeah, turn it off.
- ...and Sal's animal
was lacking...

The nudibranch
is quite sort of
subtle.

...it was Henry who became
the sixth potter to leave.

Wow, there's some carnage
in there.

- This week...
- Wish my arms moved faster.

- ...it's the quarter-final...
- Really up the game,

because at least one of you
will be going home.

...as we turn back
the clock...

The Acoma people would not
have used a cheese grater.

...inspired by
Native American pottery.

- I don't think
that's part of the brief.
- That hasn't stopped you.

- And fire them...
- Burn the pooh.

- ...in cow dung.
- I can't believe
I'm gonna fire a pot in...

- I know.
- ...cow poop, really.

But who will survive
to make it to the semi-final?

It's the best thing
you've ever done.

It's the best thing
you've ever made.

It's fantastic. I love it.

Right, I'm off now.

Our six remaining potters
are back,

and all that stands between
them and the semi-final

are two challenges
inspired by
stateside ceramics.

Quarter-finals.
I can't believe it.

All of us are just
pinching ourselves.

Has this actually happened?
But, yeah, we're here.

We managed to get this far,
fluke or not.

It'll be incredible
to be in the semi-final.

Apparently I'm the youngest one
to get this far.

It's pretty amazing.

Good morning, potters.

And a huge congratulations

for making it
to the quarter-finals.

- Yay!
- Yay!

For your main make
challenge this
week,

a technique inspired by
Native American pottery
called Acoma.

Keith and Rich want you
to make two Acoma pots:

a 30-centimetre olla pot,
which is a water carrier,

and a ten-centimetre seed jar.

The Native American
Acoma people

are best known
for their unique pottery

made using the coiling method,

a technique that dates back
thousands of years.

Typically,
Acoma pots would be fired
using cow manure,

and we want you
to use that method
for one of your pots.

This is the quarter-finals,
so really up the game

because at least one of you
will be going home this week.

Okay, then, you have
six and a half hours

to make and refine
your Acoma pots,

and your time starts now.

You know, I loved watching
videos online of Acoma,
of people making these pots.

They don't have
a lot of equipment.
It's not fancy.

Like, amazing ceramics
does not have to be
complicated.

The finest examples
of Acoma pottery

are now highly valuable
collectors' pieces

handmade with basic tools
by one of the oldest inhabited
communities in North America:

the Acoma people.

For almost 1,000 years,
their home of Sky City

has provided the clay
for their unique coiled pots.

These Acoma pots
are really prized possessions.

They had these amazing
geometric patterns on them,

and within
those geometric patterns

were symbols and signs
that meant certain things.

The olla pot is designed
for carrying water.

It's a really
voluptuous vessel.

It would have a tapered neck,
but with a wide opening
to allow access

to fill it with water
and also to get the water out.

So the seed pot
is almost the opposite.
It's small.

Seeds would've been
incredibly valuable,

so they wanted to make sure
that none of those escaped.

So consequently,
the opening is much smaller.

We're asking our potters
to make really traditional
Acoma pots.

We're celebrating
the Acoma culture.

I want to see that
classic, classic shape

and nice, thin, fine walls.

We're back to basics,
and the nature
of these bulbous forms

are gonna leave
nowhere to hide
for our potters.

To really embrace
the tradition of recreating
these ancient pots,

this week,
the extruders are off limits,

and all coils
must be rolled by hand.

Coiling again.
Here we go.
I did it years ago.

It's one of the very first
techniques you learn how to
do.

And here I am, 20 years later,
doing it again.

It reminds me
of when I was a kid

when I used to make
the snails and the worms.

To create the unique shape

of their olla and seed pots,

some of the potters
are starting the base
in plaster moulds.

What the Acoma people did
was they used the mould
for the base

and then actually
built the coils up then

into whatever shape
they wanted to do.

I'm using coils
about this thick,
and I'm putting them around.

The secret is, uh, push it in,
um, make sure you compress
all the coils.

You got to get the air out,
and it's got to be thin.

Today,
we're going all traditional
and doing it the proper way.

Adam's taking
the authentic approach
one step further.

So I've sewn this,
which is just, well,

it's loads of recycling
actually inside
just a big material sock

that I'm then going to build
my Acoma pot inside.

They do it by digging
a small hole in the ground,

so this is my mound
in the ground.

Adam will depict
the ancient Acoma story

of their migration
up to the Sky City

by hand-painting his two pots
with a design

based on microscopic
water drops and seeds.

When you're migrating,
the two most important things
are food and water.

Seeds represent food and growth
and a new beginning,

and water represents
life and sustenance.

Whilst Adam's going all-out
to honour Acoma tradition,

Sal is breaking
the Acoma mould.

I wanted this pot
to be mine,

not somebody else's shape
that I've borrowed.

I want it to be my shape.

Sal's risking a steer away

from the traditional
olla pot shape

by adding a neck
and a wide-lipped rim,

and she'll decorate her pots
with an homage

to her home county
of Cornwall.

The Acoma people--
iconography is about
their homeland,

but I'm not Acoma.

I'm Northern European,
Cornish,

so this is my homeland.

Last week's
Potter of the Week, Jodie,

has also found
a personal connection

to the Acoma designs
with her life as a nurse.

I was looking
at the traditional symbols
that they would use,

and I found that
they'd use rainbows a lot
because they'd pray for rain.

- Okay. Yeah.
- Obviously, 'cause they want
to feed their crops.

The first thing I
thought of
with rainbows

was all the support
that we had for the
NHS.

We had rainbows everywhere,
you know?

Every shop window,
every child made me cards.

So it's a bit of a tribute
to that time, you know?

They've been
symbols of hope for the NHS

throughout the pandemic,

so Jodie will replicate
rainbows on her pots

as a reminder of the support
and appreciation

of all the work
at her hospital in Wales.

This was our break room.
This was the beginning.

So if you were having
a bit of a tough time,
you go and read it all

and then it'd re-energise
you.
- Wow.

It's amazing, isn't it,
how you can take
other cultures' symbols

and then relate them back
to your own culture?

How are you feeling
about cow dung?

Excited. I can't wait.
This is brilliant.

I can't believe
I'm going to fire a pot...
- I know.

...in cow poop, really.

But before they can think
about
firing their pots in cow

there is the small matter
of getting the shape

of the top
of the large olla pot right.

They go out and then in,
so all that weight
distributed.

It's really, really difficult.

But Alon is doing
something completely
different.

I do origami stuff,
and I want the fold
to be visible.

It's a bit different,
and that adds sort of like
another dimension to the pot.

Alon's using
his origami technique

on both his olla
and seed pots,

decorating them with
mathematical curved lines

to complement
his angular forms

for a unique take
on the ancient Acoma shapes.

What we're trying to do
is celebrate

the Acoma style,
the Acoma culture.

I just want to create something
that is different from everyone

- Okay, okay.
- Yeah.

We look forward
to seeing it.

- Thank you.
- Yeah.

Potters,
you are halfway through.

My big one is basically done.
It just needs some refining.

As their olla pots dry,

the quarter-final is about
to get even more demanding.

It's a small seed jar.

The potters now have to focus
on their second, smaller pots.

Because you can't
get your hand in them,

they're gonna have
tiny holes that are
actually harder.

That's what I need.
There we go.

A little bit big
on the bottom,
but, you know,

I don't mind a big bottom,
so...

Now, Australia is full of
parrots, budgerigars,
canaries.

Course, the Sky people
are famous for their parrots,

and I thought
it was just a nice
link.

Reflecting on his time
in Australia as a boy,

Peter is planning to paint
repeated geometric parrots

and feathers around his pots,
so he's going to need
a lighter touch.

I know I'm a bit heavy-handed.
I know my pots have been
like...

Yeah. Finesse is the thing
that we're after here.
- I know. Oh.

- Think of me,
think of Siobhán. Finesse.
- Finesse.

- There you go.
- Perfect elegance.

Don't think of Richard.

I think Richard's
the most elegant of us,
really.

- Probably is, yeah. Yeah.
- Yeah.

Heavy.

It's not heavy.
It's really thin
and not heavy at all.

With their olla pots drier...

It's drier than I thought
it would be, really,

so I can kind of mould it
into a neater shape.

...the potters can finesse
their pots to be
just as elegant as Rich...

The lip is just
an aesthetic thing.

Brings it into
the 21st century, if you like.

...as well as refining them

to get the thin, even walls
that the judges want.

They have thin pots
because these are gonna be
full of water.

They're vessels to carry.

I'm just gonna use
this little cheese grater,

which I'm sure has a real name.

The Acoma people
would not have used
a cheese grater.

It removes tons of material
quite quickly.

- Is it heavy?
- Oh, it's not too bad.

- Ooh.
- Mmm. Heavy?

It is a bit heavy.
If you'd filled that
with water,

and you'd head up
to the city in the sky...

- I'm gonna shave
a bit more off.
- Yeah.

But the thinner the walls,
the more fragile they become.

It is a real danger that
you'll go all the way through.

How thin do you dare go?

Actually, my biggest fear
is that my pot

has got too-thin walls
and that I might smash it.

Hannah's battling her way
to the semi-final

with a geometric
camouflage design

originally used
during wartime.

My friend Jack told me
about these ships

called dazzle ships
in the First World w*r,

where they thought
it might work

to paint the ships
in these bright
black-and-white patterns,

like an optical illusion,
so you couldn't see properly
where to sh**t.

So you're planning on us
looking at your pots,
and we'll be so dazzled.

Yeah, you won't even be able
to see the shape
or the thinness of the walls.

Are you scared
we're gonna sh**t it?

That could be the test
if I've, like, succeeded.

Yeah. I just can't see it,
it's just disappearing.

Potters, guess what?

No.

Half an hour left.

That's gone so fast.

The Acoma probably chewed
on some coca leaves.

- You can give me
a couple if you like.
- I'm loading on the slip.

Before their pots
face their first firing,

they must be coated
in clay slip...

And this will dry
a brilliant white,

so this will become the canvas.

...and carefully burnished
using only natural tools.

We've been given
these amazing stones.

Before the days
of glazing,

this was how you got
the shiny surface, you know?

Oh, it feels like something.
Fudge.

I've never stroked fudge.

You haven't lived, babe.

So happy with this.

I can see a shine happening.
It's finally working.

It's tricky around the
corners.
It's working around them.

Oh, he's put
those folds in there.

We're celebrating
the Acoma tribe,

and he's not doing that.

My design is different
and special and, uh, unique.

We know
Sal's a really good potter,

but I'm not so sure
about that shape.

It's got quite a strong rim.

But is it a traditional
Acoma pot, do you think?

That's the question,
isn't it?

And Peter, we know
from previous challenges,

his finessing isn't brilliant.

- We want these things
to be fairly light.
- Yeah.

Jodie, she's got
a big bulbous form now.

I love her story.
It's so heartfelt.

It's a tribute
to my workmates

but also a bit of a thanks
to all the support,

because it really did
make a difference.

You want to make it good
because it's got meaning.

Potters,
that's five minutes left.
Five minutes left. Whoo!

The time just crept up.
It's getting hot,
and I'm already sweating.

Should I make a lid
in the shape your face
and then just...

I don't think
that's part of the brief.

That hasn't stopped you.

I'm trying to get
to the bottom.
- Here you go.

I've polished it
within an inch of its life.

Potters, you have
one minute remaining.

- One minute remaining.
- Quick.

- Sal is in the drying room.
- I wish my arms moved faster.

Jodie, no, you're grand.
Oh, yes.

We're talking about the last couple of seconds now, guys.

Oh, it's not shiny enough.

Five, four, three, two, one.
Time's up, congratulations.

Well done, potters.

That went well.
I built my pot
very accurately.

It's quite light.
It's the quarter-final.

I wanted to show Keith and Rich
that I am serious, and I can do it.

The Acoma pots
will now dry for 48 hours

before they're bisque fired
by studio technician, Rose.

I think I've made
a decent job of my two
pots.

I put a little lip on mine.
It's an Acoma pot,

but at the same time,
it's got to be a Sally pot.

Before they get to
decorate their Acoma pots,

the potters must face a second
North American-inspired
challenge,

and they have no idea
what it's going to be.

Welcome back, potters.

I can reveal that

your second challenge this week
is a throw down.

And, continuing
the American theme,

forget about
your plastic water bottles.

We want an 18th-century
water bottle.

We would like you to throw
an Alabama ring bottle.

Luckily, we have Rich
to come and show us.

Okay.
What it is, is essentially
a doughnut-shaped bottle.

You're gonna start off
as you normally would do,

so get your clay
in the centre.

Then you're gonna start
to flatten that lump outwards.

And then, rather unusually,
when you go in
with your fingers,

you're gonna go
all the way down
to the wheel head

'cause you don't want any clay
in that centre.

You're then gonna start
to draw that clay outwards.

I'd like your bottle to be
around 30 centimetres wide.

And then
once you're out there,
you take a finger,

and you kind of
split the difference.

And then this inner piece,
you're gonna start

throwing that
upwards and inwards

and just keep control of it
as much as possible.

So then you're gonna start
throwing this outside wall up.

What you're looking for
is an even profile

when you come
to seal up that doughnut.

And why are they this shape?

The ring shape could be
bound onto a saddle

or onto the horses' tack.

Once these two
are a similar height,

you essentially
want to start

closing these pieces
up together.

You kind of pinch
and compress.

I sort of imagine
it
like a zip.

And eventually,
they'll just
start to kiss,

and then they'll be together.

And I've got
a credit card here,

and then you want to
compress that join.

We're looking for a really
smooth doughnut shape.

Get that off.
There we go. Right.

So we'll pop that there.

And so you're gonna throw
a spout for the bottle.

You're gonna go right down to
the wheel head and pull this up.

And we're looking for
the proportion to be right.
- Exactly.

These would've traditionally had a
cork in the spout, so a good robust rim.

You also would have waited
until this was leather-hard

and cut a hole
and then join it,

but what we're interested in
is the real purity of the
form,

so we're not gonna ask you
to cut the hole.

And then give it
a bit of a wiggle on.

We're really looking
for that nice join,
aren't we?

Yeah, just smooth that seam.

And so that's
your Alabama ring bottle.

Wow.

So what we're looking for
is a really smooth
doughnut shape.

I'd like it to be
around 30 centimetres.

A nice, stout spout
and a good, robust rim.

Okay, potters.
Back to your benches, please.

You have 45 minutes,
and your time starts now.
Remove the hessian.

I've not heard of
an Alabama ring bottle before,

so I can imagine they were
really handy piece of kit
back in the day.

I've never thrown
one of these
before,

but, I mean,
I'm game on for it.

I used to make these
when I was at
college...

- Course you did.
- ...but it's a long time ago.

We used to call
them
pilgrim flasks.

All right.
What did you put in them?

Whisky.

- Want to keep the whisky
nice and cold.
- Yeah.

Oh! Don't fail me now.
It's not centred.

It's just doomed.
If it's not centred,
then you can't do anything.

We've got 45 minutes,
so I'd like to make
the first one the right one.

I don't want to
have to throw this twice.

Taking it down to the base.
Now I've got to pull it
all the way out.

When you pull that clay out,
nice and even pressure.

That's kind of tricky
'cause it likes to separate.

It has to be
30 centimetres
diameter.

I want to just get it out
a little bit more.

Gosh, that's a nice
big ring you have.

300 mil.
That's what
they're asking for.

- That's right, yeah.
Did you measure it?
- I did, yeah.

You're a fan of cowboys
and country music.

Surely you've seen this
in a Western or something.

No, it's country music
I like.

Potters,
that's ten minutes gone.
- No way.

Well, progress and that,
there's a thing.

I'm just trying to get
these even walls now,

and then I can
start
to close it in.

Keep it even, Peter.

This is a crucial step
in many crucial steps.

Rich said about
bringing the walls in
like a zip.

This is
quite a scary prospect.

Not just my hands
are shaking now.

Like, my entire body
seems to be shaking.

Sal's doing quite well there.

- Just want to make sure
that top is nicely joined.
- Come on.

It's coming together.
He says that they kiss.

Ah... Ooh! Mwah!

- Oh, they're together!
- Oh, my gosh.

Perfect harmony.

- I've just witnessed...
- I know.

...a beautiful
meeting of rims.

Uh, hmm.

Potters,
you're halfway through.
Halfway through, potters.

Wa-hey!

Thank you, Peter.

Is anybody else in
here?
Am I here on my own?

Still trying
to get that profile seam
of the actual doughnut shape.

This is looking okay now,
it's just not big enough.

Pretty happy.
Sort of the shape I wanted.

I've got hot air,
which means I'm pleased.

As well as
perfectly round rings...

Okay, spout.

...Rich and Keith
are expecting

stout spouts
with robust rims.

- The smallest
I've ever thrown yet.
- Whoo!

I've got to think
about the shape,
the height, the finish.

He wanted, like, a rim on it,
so it was nice
to drink out of, obviously.

So I'm gonna try and make it
nicely thin and ergonomic.

Just a slight flare
on the lip

that feels nice
when you take a drink.

I quite like it
when they have, like,
a bit of a nodule at the top.

It is a good,
aerodynamic shape
for putting in your mouth.

Would you put your lips
on that?

And you're going
to take it off?

Yeah.

Ooh.

Bit small.
Oh, well.

Whoa, Sal's going again.

My first one's
too small.

I wonder whether
I should throw another one.

How long do I have?

Potters, you have
five minutes left.

- I might just try.
- Oh.

Shut the actual front door.
I might finish this.

But just make sure
that seal is really nice.

Nice clean finish.
- I think
that's a bit nicer.

Come on now, guys.
Last few minutes.

Sal looks like
she's fiddling.

It's so difficult
not to just keep
playing around with it.

Jodie, well done.

Aw!

Please hurry up.

Hannah, well done. Hooray!

- Congratulations.
- Here we go. Well done.

Back to your benches.
Well done.

Okay, potters.

Let's go straight
to the judging then.

Keith and Rich are looking
for perfectly round, smooth

and hollow
Alabama ring bottles.

They must be
30 centimetres wide

and complete with
ergonomic drinking spouts.

Looking at
the ring bottle body,

it's got a slight

change of direction
just around the top.

The size of the spout
is bang on.
- Really nice.

I love the generosity
of this end,
of this rim.

- Let's have a measure.
- Okay.

Twenty-seven.
- Let's have a look
at the profile.

We're gonna
wire them through

because we want to see
that profile

and we want to see
that consistency of the wall

all the way round the bottle.

- Let's see.
- Wow.

Really nice.
Really lovely.

I thought
it was gonna be solid.

That is
a lovely surprise.

Obviously the
issues
that you've got

were a bit
of honing on the outside,

because the internal
profile
is bang on.

- Lovely.
- Thank you.

Well, it's certainly
a more expanded form,

so you've got a much narrow
wall profile.

Your spout perhaps looks
slightly like it's been
stuck on the wrong way round.

You've got a taper
that's kind of
moving outwards.

The thickness of the spout
is very good,

and it's been attached
onto the body beautifully.

Yeah, that's really nice.

Well, let's have a look
at the width.

- Wow.
- So we are 31.

- Wow.
- It's good, yeah.

- Pretty good going there.
- Nice work, Peter.

- Okay.
- Okay.

You can just see
you've got a bit of extra clay

down at the bottom,

but actually the top half
is very even.

The body of this ring bottle is pristine. It's beautifully honed.

It's got a really lovely,
smooth surface.

You get the sense that
it is a complete doughnut.
It's beautiful.

The join is a bit abrupt.

It doesn't look like
the spout's really
growing out of the ring.

- Do you want to measure it?
- I'm gonna measure it.
Twenty-eight and a half.

Whoo-hoo!

Wow, lovely.
- Yeah. Nice. Lots of
lovely volume in there.

- Brilliant.
- Thanks.

You've actually got
a lovely fluidity to the
curve.

There's a few facets
visible
and it's a bit untidy.

The fact that
it's that much smaller
means

- there's probably a bit
more clay in there maybe.
- Yeah.

Do you think
there is a gap?

I'm wondering
how much of a gap there is.

But I quite like
that stubby little spout.

You could've afforded to have
a slightly more defined rim.

The join is nice though,
isn't it?

The join is very nice.
Let's have a little
measure.

Twenty-four. A bit small.

Let's have a look
at the inside.

Ooh.

- Okay.
- It's not too bad.

I'd say
you've been generous

with the amount of clay
left at the bottom.

Looking at the body,
it's not that voluptuous.

It looks a bit taller
than it is wide.

It's just lacking
a bit of that rounded profile,

and you can still see
some of the facets from
where you've used the tool.

The spout is a great
proportion to the body,

and I really love the fact
that you've got
this really defined rim.

Let's have a look
at how big it is.

- Pretty good.
- Twenty-eight.

Right, here we go then.

There you go.
You've got a bit of extra clay

just down at the bottom here,
and it's a little bit flat.

It would've been nice
to have a bit of
a more generous cavity.

Yeah.
Not a bad effort.
- Thank you.

We've got a lovely profile
to the body of the ring
bottle.

It's really
beautifully rounded
and you can see

that you've really honed it
really nicely.

- It's really fluent, isn't it?
- Very fluent.

Right. Let's measure it up.
Twenty-eight and a half.

Twenty-eight
and a half. Okay.

- Right then.
- Let's have a look.

Okay.

- Ooh.
- Yeah.

- Loads there. Well done, Sal.
- Beautiful.

The wall has remained
consistent through the
join.

Where you've compressed
those together,

you've done that
beautifully evenly,

and you've got lots of volume
there to contain that water.

- That's really, really lovely.
- Thank you.

Rich and Keith
will now rank

the Alabama ring bottles
from worst to best.

So, in sixth place,
we have...

Jodie.
The scale was there.

- It's just the volume.
- Thank you.

So in fifth place,
we have Hannah.

It was just the overall volume,
and it's a bit messy on the outside.

In fourth place
is Peter, in third is Adam,

leaving top of the bottles
between Alon and Sal.

So in second place,
we have...

- Alon.
- Thank you.

Really, really
beautiful profile.
- Wow.

It's just that spout for me.

- Almost faultless.
- Thank you.

So in first place,
we have Sal.

- Well done.
- Thank you.

Really well done.

Just a beautifully
thrown body.

Really lovely profile.
Really fantastic, Sal.
Well done.

I won again.
It was actually something
I'd done before.

Muscle memory's
a wonderful thing,

and there's obviously
something tickling

the back of the old grey
matter
that still works.

Senility hasn't quite
set in yet.

It's nice to come second.

Doesn't really give me
much more security then.

It really is about
the main make.

I'm gonna
put the throw down
to one side now.

I tried my best.
It didn't go in my favour,

but I'm just gonna
look forward to finishing
these Acoma pots now.

Oh, look at that.
Lovely, shiny.

The Acoma pots
have had their first
bisque firing overnight.

- Whoa!
- Ooh, lovely jubbly.

Decorating isn't
a great strength for me,
but I'm not frightened by it.

The geometric pattern
will come from
my engineering background

and hopefully my
designs
will shine through.

- Thank you, Rose.
- Bye, guys.

I hope I do justice now
to the decoration,

and I hope
people will like
it.

Wow, isn't this
such a beautiful colour?

Yeah, it's gone
really nice.

The potters
now have three hours

to transform their blank pots
with intricate designs

worthy of illustrious
Acoma pottery.

As you can see,
both the vessels
have come out with no cracks.

Reasonably light,
so hopefully that
will please Keith.

It's just getting
the design on now, isn't
it?

This is the-- Whoo!
The crucial bit, really.

I'm putting
the birds around now.

This is just
the pencil outline.

With the judges expecting

precise geometric patterns,

planning has never been
so important.

They're in six positions.

It is round, but not as round
as you'd want,

so to work the picture out
and get those so it all fits,

that's what they're
gonna be looking for.

Even the tiniest mistake now

could spell disaster.

If you get it wrong
at this point,

it's gonna throw the eye off
and it's not gonna work.

I just wish I could stop shaking. Honestly... Ah!

Oh, sugar sticks.

I cannot do things with maths

and straight lines,

so this has melted my mind.

I texted my mum,
and she helped me figure out
the logic behind this pattern.

Goes up, down, up.

But while
most of the potters
are cautiously

sketching their designs
before applying colour...

Masking tape lines help.

...Adam's sticking
with his authentic approach.

So I'm going in freehand.

I'm doing it
the, uh, Acoma way.

So there's gonna be
three large spirals
on my olla pot,

inspired by water and rivers
based through a microscope.

So hopefully it'll be
a nice marriage
of geometry and my style.

Whilst Adam goes freehand,

Alon's gone freestyle

with the decoration
of his origami-style pots.

No plan. Just put paint on.

My idea is to
sort of make it look

like it's just a piece of
paper
that I doodled on.

It's just really fun,
but it takes a long time to
do.

He may have
reinvented the revered shapes
of the ancient Acoma pots,

but Alon's using
a more traditional
painting technique.

The Acoma people,
the brushes, they used
their children's hair.

He just wanted a really fine,
fine brush with long strands,

and I got straight long hair,
so I gave him a few pieces.

We didn't cut it,
we pulled it.

Pulling my hair out
this morning.

Doing that a lot lately.

Thanks, Jodie.

Oh, my God, this is just
so technically difficult.

I wish I'd brought
my reading glasses.

Sal's symbolic designs

to honour her Cornish homeland
are even more detailed.

The pressure is the time.
Trying to get it all done.

Which is why I'm trying to get
the little one done first.

Then I can concentrate
on the big one.

Potters,
you're halfway through.

Halfway through.
One and a half hours gone.

- That's insane.
- Thanks, Siobhán.

You're welcome, potters.
- Thank you, Siobhán.

- Thanks.
- Oh, stop it. Thank you.

- Are you painting?
- Yeah.

Oh, my God,
are you painting already?

You having a giraffe?

Just colour in the shapes.

I have got
a lot of painting to do.

The spirals
will look a bit wonky

until the rest is filled in,

but I have faith that
it will un-wonk in the end.

To stay faithful
to Acoma pottery,

our potters have just three
colours of slip available,

white, black, and orange,

to bring their elaborate
Acoma designs to life.

I've gone
for the arrowheads,

and I'll try and make them,
you know, 3-D as possible now.

- Hello, Jodie.
- Hello.

Do you want to stand up?

No. I'm fine.

- How are you getting on?
- Just the black now.

Get the black in
as much as I can.

Do you know,
the knees have seized now,
so, like, I'm here now.

- Yeah. That's fine.
- Yeah. We have to do
everything from here.

They're really cool pictures

of these big battleships
with bold geometric patterns.

My dog, Charlie,
he's an important part
of my life.

The Acoma people
put animals on their pots

that were around them,
and I'm doing the same thing.

Is it a chicken?
- It's a chicken,
parrot, canary...

- A chicken parrot?
- It's a bit of everything.

It's the sort of the thing
on the top of the head,

looks a bit like a rooster,
I suppose.

- It does.
- It looks lovely though.

- Yeah.
- How are you getting on?

It's the time.
Got three birds still to do.

Covering the large surface

of the water-carrying
olla pots

with intricate patterns
is only half the battle.

I'm almost finished this baby,
and then I need to draw
my design for my small pot.

The smaller seed pots require
even more precision.

Very similar in style,
but different decorations.

So instead of the bear,
we got a bear paw.

Tail feathers.
Gonna link, but it's not
gonna be exactly the same.

Because that's so small,
I didn't want
to over-complicate it.

Unlike the other potters,

Sal saved the decoration

of her larger olla pot
till last.

The design will be
more complex on the big one.

I'm just doing
a Cornish chough.

I very often see them
when I'm walking the dogs.

Half an hour left.
Half an hour left.

I haven't done anywhere
near
what I thought

I'd planned to do,
but three hours is three
hours.

Can't even make love
in three hours, can
you?

Uh, I've got not enough
done
and shedloads to do.

I'm not gonna have
enough time to paint it all.

Bit afraid the design
is too simple.

Everyone else's pots
look really, really good.

I'm just trying
to work out in my head

what I can get away with
not painting.

Can I have yours
when you get them back?

- Stop looking at people's--
- No, I can't.

That one's amazing.
That one's amazing.

- Completely different styles.
- How are we doing, Adam?

Feels like
time is slipping away.

Time does do that,
and it's not my fault.

Oh, but we blame you,
Siobhán.

I know, and you shouldn't
blame me at all.

Putting a bit of orange
on the bottom of this one,

just like that,
to connect the two.

And my repeat pattern
doesn't work,

so I'm now winging it.

Right, Peter, let's stop
there.
I've finished.

Peter is finished.
Fantastic. Alon...

Is not finished. Okay. Sal?

- Four more squares to do.
- Four more squares to do.
Nearly done?

Yeah. I can drop this
at any time, so--

Drop it on the ground,
you mean? Don't.

- Like that.
- Hannah is done.

- Adam, we're waiting on you.
- Oh, my God.

Ten seconds.
- My hands
have started shaking.

Aw, I'm getting it everywhere.

- Ah.
- Three...

- I'm done.
- ...two...

- Oh, my God.
- ...one, down tools.

Congratulations, everyone.
Well done.

Well done.

It went as well
as it could've.

But I saw the other pots,
and I don't think

I'm gonna pass this week,
which is not the best feeling.

The potters' large olla pots

will be fired
in the electric kiln...

and their small seed pots
in cow dung,

a first for the Throw Down.

- Hello, potters.
- Hi.

Welcome, welcome to our own
little bit of Sky City

here in Stoke city.

The Acoma pots would all be
fired out of doors
using manure,

and where that manure made
contact with the surface of the pots,

it would create
these dark spots
called fire clouds.

And the fire clouds were really
embraced by the Acoma potters.

So, without further ado, should we get started?

I've never fired anything
in dung, no.

Seen plenty of it
in my line of work, but...

The moodiness, the smokiness,
is gonna add atmosphere.

It just shows
how they would've looked

when they were done
originally.
I'm excited for this.

Their pots
will be packed into the pit

amongst broken pottery,
wood, paper,

and the all-important
- dried cow dung.

The more textures
and the more effects

that you get
in the dung firing,

the more valuable
the pot becomes.

- Set it on fire.
- Right.

Burn the pooh. Sorry, okay.

Ooh.

Yeah, so time for
the naked dancing now.

- So, Peter, you start,
we follow, yeah?
- Okay.

The dung will now
burn through the night.

In the morning,
it's judgement day.

Well, your pots
are really in the lap
of the kiln gods now.

They are indeed.

It's judgement day,

and the larger of the two
coiled Acoma pots

are ready to come out
of the electric kiln.

I hope the pot
comes out nice,

because this one is supposed
to symbolise, like,

a happy future and a good omen,
so I hope this one comes out.

Good morning, guys.

They're fab.
They're all fab, aren't they?

a place in the semi-final.

To be thinking
about
the semi-final?

Oh, my God, that's, like,
bonkers, isn't it?
That I've come this far.

On a couple of occasions,
I've been hanging on like,

"Ah, I'm still here,"
but I am still here.

And after
burning overnight,
it's time to find out

if the dung-fired seed pots
have survived.

- Right, everybody ready?
- Yeah, man.

- Yeah?
- Yeah. Do it.

- We doing...
- Get one each.

Oh, oh.

Ooh!

They're all intact.
- Oh, wow,
look at that smoky bit.

Wow.
- That looks so good.
Oh, wow!

- That's interesting.
- Look at that.

- Ooh!
- Fabulous.

That's evidence.

This competition's strong.
There's some
fantastic pots there.

That makes you very anxious.

Winning the second challenge
doesn't make you safe any more,

so I'm no safer
than anybody else.

The judges are looking for

two traditional
coiled Acoma pots:

a water-carrying olla pot
and a smaller pot
for storing seeds.

Adam, would you like to
bring your Acoma pots up
to the judges, please?

The form of your olla pot
is just delightful.

So beautifully finished.
It feels voluptuous.

The way you've plotted out
the design around that form
just works so, so well.

They are
really,
really lovely.

Um, can I pick this one up?

Yeah. I mean, that's...

- Oh, look at his face.
- It's great.

Thank you.

We asked for thin walls,

and you've given us that.

It's really lovely and smooth.
Absolutely wonderful.

I mean, feel the weight
of that, Rich.

- Oh!
- It's lovely, isn't it?

And I love the fact
that you have got

some lovely smoke clouds
on here.

Yeah, it just fits the brief perfectly.

- Aw, thank you.
- Well done, Adam.

- Cheers, Adam.
- Cheers.

The story I'm trying to tell
is from my workplace
within the NHS,

um, during the pandemic.

The rainbow is to represent
the public support.

The arrowheads, um,
represent protection.

The bear represents medicine.

It's a fantastically
fitting piece.

It's beautiful.

You thought about
the structure

and the size
of the design on there.

It's really big and bold.
With these arrowheads,

you've managed to get
a bit of depth in there
by using that black.

It's really, really nice.

- Maybe slightly bit heavy
on the bottom end of it.
- Yeah.

- Lovely fire clouds.
- What's that from?

Probably where
the dung's been kissing

the bottom of the pot.
It's sublime.

I don't think
I'd want to be kissed by dung,

but I don't mind my pots being kissed by dung. It's lovely.

- Well done.
- Thank you.

They look pretty good.
The actual shape
of the olla pot

could've been
slightly more bellied out

to create that shoulder
that we were looking for,

but I'm loving the design.

The way you've demarked
the different areas

and split the whole form up,

and then got that continuity

and that repetition
going round,

I think it's just wonderful.

Yeah, and that's...
Oh, it's, uh...

That's a good weight.
Feel that.

- That's all right. Not bad.
- Pretty good.

Feels even. It feels like
you've got good, thin walls
all the way down.

Really, really
beautifully made.

Oh, and that's lovely
and light.

And a really nice, small
opening for the seeds.

Really, really
nice.

Let's look at
the little one.

The decoration almost sort of

emerges out of the cloud.

The reaction that
you've got here on this dog...

- Wow.
- ...here is fantastic.

They're lovely
illustrations
on here,

and the shape
is really nice.

For me, this one works
better than that one
in a way.

It looks pretty well made.
I just don't know
why you put that rim

on that coil pot.

It's not the
traditional
olla pot, really.

- It's a bit on the heavy side.
- Yeah.

It is very substantial,
shall we say.

I wonder perhaps
whether the scale
is quite right,

'cause there's a few gaps
that maybe feel like

they were waiting
for something.

But the quality
of the finish on the chough,

it shows
a really lovely touch.

Well, yeah. Just wish
you hadn't done that.

- Sorry.
- Really didn't.

On first reflection,
they are quite striking pots.

The shape and the form
is very striking.

I'm not quite sure
these kind of accents
that you've done,

this overlapping,
is quite in the tradition
of the Acoma pot itself.

But you can't really fault the surface.

It's a wonderful finish.

The decoration is perhaps

a little bit sparse
and lacks impact.

On this one, you have got
a bit of smoke cloud on there.

That's worked quite
well
for you there.

It's just that that hole there
is a bit too large.

Avocado seeds.

Avocado seeds. Oh, okay.

Although
they're beautiful pots,

I don't know that
they necessarily celebrate

that traditional Acoma culture
that we were looking for.

It's absolutely...

brilliant.

Fantastic, mate.

Absolutely. I mean, I was crying
before you even took it off the bench.

It's brilliant.
It looks fantastic.

It's the best thing
you've ever done.

It's the best thing
you've ever made.

I love it.

Well, I'm off now.

Fantastic.

To space those out
so precisely like that
is no mean feat.

Pete, the form
that you've created
is just beautiful.

This lovely, lovely
bulbous body to it.

It shows just
immense coiling skills.

When you pick it up,
the weight feels even.

You know, evenly distributed.

You've built it
really, really well.

Oh, and your seed jar
is lovely and light.

Love the way you've picked up
some of the design elements,

like these kind of wings,
through onto the smaller pot.

There's kind of elements
that draw
the two pieces together.

Are you proud of yourself?
- Chuffed to bits.

You should be, mate.
Go on, or I'll start crying
again here.

Well done, Peter.

Thank you very much.

I had a little tear.
Um, in fact,
it was very emotional.

Um, you know, and they
were so complimentary

about the shape
and the detail on the pot,

and they loved it,
and I was really chuffed.

So, yeah, very, very happy
at the minute.

It was very nice.

Ooh! Didn't want to cry.

If I turned out
something I was proud of,

this would've been
a lot easier.

But because I know it's not good, just disappointed in myself.

So, it's all getting
quite serious now.
It's the quarter-final.

What have been
your particular highlights
this week?

I mean, Jodie's story,
I think, was just such...

- Important.
- Heartfelt. Yeah.

Of the moment we're in now,
I just think she couldn't have
got it more right.

Adam has had a good week.

Yeah, he showed us
some really proficient coiling

and a really good eye for form

because they were so in keeping

with that traditional
Acoma pot.

And then Peter really,
really came to the fore
with his build.

If ever there was a definition
for someone really learning

in a creative process,
Peter's the one for me.

Yeah. I mean, I think we both
feel really proud of Peter.

His pots this week
were fantastic.

So, who's in trouble?

So, for me,
there are a couple of potters
that could be in trouble.

Ironically, they're probably,
um, the stronger throwers.

I think
Alon has to be one.

Both his olla pot
and seed jar

moved away from
that traditional Acoma pot
that we were looking for.

And his designs
were just a bit lacking.

- And then the other person,
I think, is Sal.
- Wow.

She just missed
that whole kind of concept
of that Acoma pot

by putting that rim on.

That brief was very specific.

We wanted to celebrate
that Acoma tradition.

There's plenty of space
within any challenge
to put your stamp on it,

but you can't alter
the core elements
of that challenge...

- Right, okay.
- ...that we want to see.

Not an easy decision to make.
I will leave you to it.

Well, I have the pleasure
of giving the good news
this week.

It was tight at the top,
but this week's
Potter of the Week is...

Peter.

Aw. Aw.

Well done, Peter.
Well done.

Well done, sweetheart.
- Well done.

Now the nice bit's over, and I get to do the really horrible

Unfortunately, we will not be
losing one potter this week,

we will be losing two.

And the potters who will be
leaving this week are...

Alon and Sal.

No.

I'm so sorry.

Knew it, so it's fine.

It was fair.

- Well done, mate. Well done.
- Thanks.

It's a shame I couldn't
get to the very end,
but made it here.

Happy with that.

You know, we've created
such a tight group.

Now it's gonna be
definitely tough, not--

not being around everybody.

Oh.

I wish I hadn't put a collar

on a pot
that didn't need a collar.

Um, yeah, just sad, really.
But privileged to do this.

It's just been so cool. Yeah.

Alon and Sal are both
wonderful, wonderful makers,

but we're in
the quarter-finals.

It's incredibly important

to follow
the challenge criteria.

And they didn't.
That's why they had to go.

Yeah, that was a shock.

I did not expect that
we'd lose Sal and Alon.

They're two of the three people that
I totally expected to go into the final.

As Sal and Alon
sadly leave the pottery,

Peter's Acoma pots
take their place
in the Throw Down gallery.

I'm in the semi-final.
Who would've believed it?

You know,
who would've believed it?
I never, ever stop learning.

Getting a little bit older now,
but I don't think you should ever stop.

You know, what's age
got to do with anything?

And, uh, I just want
to keep going, you know?

- Next time...
- What?

- ...it's the semi-final.
- Ah!

Just two
bathroom challenges...

Oh, my gosh.

...stand between Adam...

Keep going, keep going.
Creative.

- ...Peter...
- I'm not messing about.
I want it now.

- ...Hannah...
- Ow!

- ...and Jodie...
- I am from Wales,
but I don't like leaks.

...and a place in the final.

It looks like
you've played it
a little bit safe.