FIRST FIRING OF ANAGAMA Člupek

HOW TO JOIN?

• Bring your own goods to the firing and have them fired.
• Bring the goods and get involved in the firing process (cooking, supplying, helping before, during, after the firing, or possibly wood and preparations during the year).
• Bring the goods and participate in the entire firing as part of the firing team for experienced participants with experience in wood-burning kilns, it is ideal if we have fired some kilns together before, have the “same school” and the like. Firing is simply extremely demanding.

DETAILS ABOUT THE EVENT

You register your goods in advance, via an online form. The goods will be collected on pre-determined dates at the collection point in Prague - Malešice.

Minimum volume: equivalent of 2 full banana boxes (hopefully you get them at your supermarket). We need uniform packaging for further handling of the goods, transport, storage and later pickup. 

Maximum volume: by agreement, even large items can be fired if they pass through the door.

Materials used (must withstand 1350 °C and more): Witgert No. 11 SF40, MA and MAM from Pávka, Dorda, Borovany (BO), Ohnivec from H+K

Glazing upon agreement, in anagama it is assumed that there will be no glazing, but it will be possible to use selected glazes on cellect site, for example for the insides of the vessels. Engobes can be used according to one's own creativity, after prior agreement. The options are as follows and in this order are preferred:

Do not glaze at all and leave the kiln free to do its thing.

Coat only the inside with a thin layer of transparent glaze if you are concerned that the inside will be too dry, or on the contrary, excessive ash coating will not dissolve.

Glaze the entire vessel with shino or feldspar glaze, i.e. with hard feldspar glazes suitable for anagama. Partial glazing is not pretty, it creates uneven surfaces.

Glazing can be done during the goods handover, or we will be happy to give a recipe for the glazes if there are more goods and you want to glaze them at your own studio.

Each piece must be marked with a predetermined "legend":

Author's mark - visible and clear embossed mark on the bottom of each vessel

Clay mark - number, embossed - I recommend taking apart an old typewriter 🙂 and you have great markings forever.

1 - MAM (Pávek) suitable for the front part of the kiln (A)

2 - Ohnivec (HK) suitable for the front and middle part of the kiln (A,B)

3 - Dorda (Pávek) suitable for the middle part of the kiln (B)

4 - MA (Pávek) suitable for the middle and back part of the kiln (B,C)

5 - Borovany (Pávek) suitable for the back part of the kiln (C)

6 - W11 SF 40 (Wittgert) suitable for the back part of the kiln (C)

For zone A, it is necessary to make extremely robust goods that can withstand impact by logs, erosion by ash, etc. Generally, goods have to be really stable for this firing (no extremely narrow bottoms).

Take inspiration from Japanese Iga ceramics, for example.

The material used determines the place in the kiln where the goods will arrive. However, the materials are chosen so that they can end up anywhere in the kiln. We will try to load them all as best as possible, but always with respect to the kiln. Loading is our most powerful tool for regulation.

Without clear and precise legend, we will not be able to accept the goods from you. We will take a picture of the goods upon receipt, set a price, record the author, quantity, type of goods and materials used so that we can load them as best as possible.

PRICES AND PAYMENTS

Payment will be made partly as a deposit upon handover of the goods. The price for ordinary goods and tableware is set at 1400 CZK (58 EUR) per 1 banana box ready for loading, i.e. approximately 15 half-liter mugs. Deposit ber box is 980 CZK (41 EUR).

We use this "loading unit" for loading our kilns, if you are new to us and do not get it, just contact us please for further explanation.

For large items, the price must be set individually per piece based on our estimate. We assume the same price, only a giant vase will easily take up the equivalent of three crates and you would put 30 mugs in the kiln instead. This is the reality of large pieces.

We will collect a deposit of 70% of the total price. We will make the remaining payment upon receipt of the goods after firing.

KDY A KDE

Anagama in Člupek, Člupek 78, Němčice u Litomyšl

June 2026, registration starts

end of September 2026, 1st collection and loading

mid-January 2027, 2nd collection and loading

March 2027, firing, cooling and unloading of the kiln

First come, first served and we select goods until 75% of the kiln capacity is filled.

How and when can I be at the firing?

We understand that many would like to be at the firing as much as possible, but it is a very demanding event to carry out and concentrate on, and it carries a lot of responsibility. The kiln is so large and the entire firing that it is necessary to regulate participation somehow.

Of course, if you are in the service or firing team, you will be participating in everything to the fullest extent.

If you are outside these teams and want to have contact with the firing, and this is very understandable, then individual all-day “windows” will be prepared for you, when it will be possible to come and see how the kiln is loaded (one of the loading days), fired (one of the firing days) and unloaded (the second day of unloading with the possibility of seeing all the goods and taking your own creations away)

CONTACT

Václav Kugler, organization

vaclav@keramikasrdcem.cz

+420 608 658 320

ACCOMMODATION

Accommodation is possible in the Na Nebesích guesthouse, we recommend booking in advance. We can accommodate the implementation team on site. Litomyšl is located 10 minutes from the kiln by car or bus, so it is possible and easy to live there too.