KOCHI: The Fragrance of fresh earth wafts around Sivaprakash K, 24. His hands are smooth and subtle as are his well finished decorative earthen pieces. The terracotta artist, who spends most of his time wedging clay and moulding pottery at Kerala Arts and Crafts Village (KACV), Kovalam, is now making waves with his recent innovation — the ‘Kaliman Kolambi’ aka ‘Terracotta Acoustic Amp’.
You may call it an earthen speaker. It certainly seems like a cool, earthy addition to one’s drawing table: a zero-electricity device made of clay to amplify the music beats and riffs pouring out from mobile phones.
The earthen speakers, which come in various textures and prints, have become a hit among celebrities like music director M Jayachandran, beams Sivaprakash, who hails from Nilambur.Sivaprakash, who did a professional computer hardware course, says a ‘techie job’ was not his calling. So, after much deliberation, he chose to follow his father Chami’s lineage, his passion — pottery — six years ago.
“It was my elder brother Sivadasan, product designer at Sargaalaya Arts and Craft Village in Kozhikode, who inspired me to take up pottery. During school and college days, I used to help my father in his work, but never thought of a career in pottery,” says Sivaprakash.“But the craft expo of pottery held at the Sargaalaya in 2017 changed my mind. I realised there were infinite possibilities to explore in pottery. Since then, I have been experimenting with the craft and specialising in miniature pottery, which has takers in and outside Kerala.”
Elaborating on ‘Kalman Kolambi’, Sivaprakash says the idea struck him while reading about bamboo speakers. He wanted to replicate the concept in his favourite medium, clay. It was not as simple as it looked, he says. “There was a lot of trial and error involved. The speakers must have the right space inside them to boost the sound,” he explains. “Earthen speakers render a bass sound effect, which enhances the audio. I have also recorded video of making terracotta speakers for aspiring pottery artists.”
Sivaprakash says he is keen to deliver pottery classes. His other creations such as mini versions of cups, plates, jugs, utensils, pots and animals would certainly inspire budding artists. Most of his clients are miniature art collectors. Each piece gets a natural red soil mixture coating before going into the 800-degrees-Celsius kiln.
For miniature pottery, one needs a lot of patience and eye-hand co-ordination, notes Sivaprakash. “Apart from finding them cute, collectors focus on the finish,” he says. “I take at least two hours to complete a piece.” The contours of the miniatures — 3mm to 1cm — are crafted using specially curated tools made of wood and bamboo, adds Sivaprakash, who recently joined hands with Shinuprasad, a sculptor at KACV, to curate freehand miniature figures. So, what is next? “ I want to explore ceramic and paintings on miniature pottery,” says Sivaprakash. “I wish to stick to my roots and take the lineage forward with more innovations.”