Potter
These are my initials in Arabic letters (ein sod) and they serve as my mark on every piece I produced, together with the date they were crafted.
I am Osman Sidek, a pottery hobbyist since early 2010s when I decided to take a break from architectural practice to pursue writing; and found pottery, and piano, along the way. They have been delightful pastimes I indulge in in-between writing.
By now however, I am somewhat disenchanted by pottery master-pieces which do no more than stand on museum plinths or display counters in rich houses or pages of glossy magazines – to be gawked at purely for their sheer beauty ... because to me pottery is more than an art form. Rather, artistry dwells in this craft only to express functionality through its form, hence evoking pleasure in the use of banal objects on a daily basis.
But that’s nobody's fault, to be fair. It’s more of my incurable fixation to firmitas-utilitas-venustas or strength, function and beauty to co-exist in one design; a psychological condition that afflicts many other architects too.
As such, my works are designed for contemporary daily usage in the modern home or office. Some are reinterpretation of traditional products with a new twist on how they might be used in our times; while some are odd new-fangled contraptions, probably never invented before. In both cases, they serve contemporary daily needs. In that sense, my works seek to revisit the original meaning of pottery.
I am Osman Sidek, a pottery hobbyist since early 2010s when I decided to take a break from architectural practice to pursue writing; and found pottery, and piano, along the way. They have been delightful pastimes I indulge in in-between writing.
By now however, I am somewhat disenchanted by pottery master-pieces which do no more than stand on museum plinths or display counters in rich houses or pages of glossy magazines – to be gawked at purely for their sheer beauty ... because to me pottery is more than an art form. Rather, artistry dwells in this craft only to express functionality through its form, hence evoking pleasure in the use of banal objects on a daily basis.
But that’s nobody's fault, to be fair. It’s more of my incurable fixation to firmitas-utilitas-venustas or strength, function and beauty to co-exist in one design; a psychological condition that afflicts many other architects too.
As such, my works are designed for contemporary daily usage in the modern home or office. Some are reinterpretation of traditional products with a new twist on how they might be used in our times; while some are odd new-fangled contraptions, probably never invented before. In both cases, they serve contemporary daily needs. In that sense, my works seek to revisit the original meaning of pottery.