Did you know that DCW is run by a volunteer committee? Well, we are! We meet each week to oversee day-to-day planning in the workshop, and each contribute to DCW’s future and vision. We also have two technicians, an administrator and wonderful volunteers, plus a board of directors who help us get stuff done.
In a bid to shine a light on our gang, we’re going to share some Q&As with folks involved at the workshop. This week we’re talking to Zsófia Jakab – lover of spiders.
Firstly, tell us about yourself!
Originally, I’m from Hungary and came to Dundee to do my MFA in Art and Humanities at DJCAD, as my background is in literature. I liked it here so much I decided to stick around, doing various things, mostly to do with art. I would love to have a cat and a garden, but for now I’m only looking at cats online and trying to grow indoor plants.
What’s your role within DCW?
I’m a Committee Member.
What sort of work do you create in your professional practice/what’s your day job/career/vocation/calling?
As a day-job, you can usually find me selling art supplies. In the future, I would like to continue my fine art practice as well as research, and do a practice-led PhD in art (fingers crossed!).
What is your experience of working in clay?
I usually use clay for sculptural pieces and as an aid for casting, and I joined DCW to learn more. One day I might even try throwing!
What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
Measure twice, cut once.
Who are your role models? Who or what inspires and encourages you?
I feel quite inspired by spiders – I love their dedication to their ‘craft’, building webs constantly, which isn’t really a craft but something they have to do, something instinctual and natural. Their webs are functional to them and beautiful to us. Artmaking, to me, feels similar to this. It can be beautiful (often not), it can be functional (usually not), but the drive is there, and one can only obey the instinct or repress it. Anyway, thanks for coming to my TED talk.
What does DCW mean to you?
A lovely place with lovely people who gather to share their love of making!
Hopes for the future of DCW?
There are some great projects in the pipeline I’m really excited for, so probably just more of those and it would also be great to see DCW grow physically so it can accommodate as many creatives as possible.
You can find Zsófia sharing more of her creative work and endeavours here:
Dundee Ceramics Workshop 