When Anita Lal, Creative Director and Founder, Good Earth, and a ceramics lover and collector, invited a young ceramicist, Vineet Kacker, to her pottery studio at Tulsi Farms, Delhi, little did the duo know this would span a lifetime of creative collaborations. Through her love for ceramics, Lal’s aim was to reinvigorate the dying craft of village kumhars and extend their skills and vocabulary. Kacker was the perfect choice to expand on the vision. Together, they brought in a new aesthetic for home pottery with earthen products that were utilitarian and decorative, modern yet rooted in tradition.
As Good Earth celebrates its 25-year legacy of shaping culture, it’s only fitting then that it pays homage to its pottery origins through an exclusive collection by Kacker. Aptly named the Songline Series, the limited edition ceramic tableware celebrates the fertility of the soil and the brand’s eternal inspiration—Mother Nature.
With Songline, Kacker returns to his first love—functional ceramic ware. “Songline is a very special collection for me. It is after two decades that I am back to functional pottery and I am happy Anita let me do it. In a time that has been challenging for many, these porcelain works invite celebration through everyday activities associated with food and the table. I wanted to do something which was unique, yet simple in the way it was perceived,” says the artist.
Known for mixing different techniques, a typical Kacker pottery will boast experiments with the matt and glossy, with a touch of the metaphoric. Each piece is handmade using porcelaneous stoneware clay and glazed to high temperature in a palette of classic celadons, earthy glazes and deep ochre-undertones.
The collection of large bowls, platters and décor accents is brought to life with textured brushwork representing lines in the earth and interplay of floral and nature-inspired stamp motifs. Continuously inspired by India and the immense potential it holds with its existing crafts industry and rich heritage, this series draws inspiration from patterns of ploughed earth and fields, symbolic of cyclic regeneration.