Ockham Lectures Pocket Edition: Teapot Meditations: Chris Weaver and Craft in Aotearoa

Established in 2020, the Ockham Lecture Series commissions a rich breadth of voices to write about ideas that matter for craft, design and architecture. It and the Pocket Series are supported by Objectspace's extraordinary lead partner, Ockham Residential.

Issue 06: Published by Objectspace August 2024 on the occasion of Teapot Meditations: The practical poetry of Chris Weaver, curated by Richard Fahey and exhibited 15 Jun–18 Aug 2024 at Objectspace in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and 6 Sep–20 Oct 2024 at Objectspace at Sir Miles Warren Gallery in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

"For Weaver, making something that is not useful is inconceivable. Perhaps more than we, his audience, do, he needs his pots to be functional: to give voice to the old adage that there is no beauty without utility. Functionalism isn’t an end for him; rather, it was the beginning – an uncluttered term of reference through which he could celebrate the virtues of the handmade. Pots are tactile before they are visual, made by hand with the intent of being handled. They bring comfort into the domestic space through a tactile exchange that is gratifying to both maker and user."

Richard Fahey is a senior lecturer within the School of Creative Industries, Unitec, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, where he has taught design and contemporary art since 1992. His research activity is focused on the material culture of Aotearoa. As an independent writer, critic and advocate, he addresses contemporary cultural production and its reception via the historical and institutional contexts of education, critical discourse, collection and exhibition. His research takes the forms of writing, curating and participation in the visual arts sector as a teacher, assessor and critic.

Chris Weaver is a critically acclaimed potter who lives in Kaniere, east of Hokitika, Te Waipounamu. Weaver graduated from Otago Polytechnic, Ōtepoti Dunedin, in 1976 with a Diploma in Fine and Applied Arts (with distinction) in design and sculpture and a Certificate in Ceramics. His work has been exhibited throughout New Zealand and in Australia, Germany, the United States, China and Japan. Weaver has travelled both nationally and internationally to demonstrate, teach and exhibit. He is the recipient of numerous national awards and grants and is represented in public and private collections within Aotearoa and abroad.