Potterij onder de moerbeiboom

Fiorenzo D’Arsie, artist, ceramicist and owner of Potterij onder de Moerbeiboom wrote this to describe our collaboration:

In the world of ceramics, you can become so absorbed in your own search that it feels as though only the clay speaks your language. It becomes your struggle — a process entered in silence and solitude.

Until Liam walked into my studio. He asked if I wanted to take part in a project bringing film and ceramics together. Our shared passion for clay was the immediate connection. Without hesitation I said yes — unusual for me, as I normally turn everything over in my mind. Yet it felt right immediately. How do you put into words what you work with every day? Why not make it visible through images?

For me, this project is about the search for connection: between what you think, what you feel, and how you express that through ceramics. It became a place where multiple people walk their own path — each with their own vision, but all within the same world of clay.

(Original Dutch Text)

In de wereld van keramiek kun je zo opgaan in je eigen zoektocht dat het voelt alsof alleen de klei jouw taal spreekt. Het wordt je strijd, een proces dat je in stilte en afzondering aangaat.

Totdat Liam mijn atelier binnenstapte. Hij vroeg of ik wilde meedoen aan een project waarin film en keramiek samenkomen. Onze gedeelde passie voor klei was de directe verbinding. Zonder aarzelen zei ik ja — ongewoon voor mij, want meestal overdenk ik alles. Toch voelde het onmiddellijk juist. Hoe kun je immers in woorden vatten waar je dagelijks mee bezig bent? Waarom het niet zichtbaar maken in beelden?

Dit project gaat voor mij over de zoektocht naar verbinding: tussen wat je denkt, wat je voelt, en hoe je dat tot uitdrukking brengt in keramiek. Het werd een plek waar meerdere mensen hun eigen pad bewandelen — ieder met een eigen visie, maar allemaal in dezelfde wereld van klei.

What began as a skill exchange — me creating social media content in exchange for tuition in ceramics — evolved into a deep and meaningful project for both of us. I engaged Fiorenzo in long interviews, asking him to hold his most precious pieces and describe what thoughts and feelings the clay had been imbued with. The result is a video series that has brought both of us much joy. Fiorenzo is not simply interested in technique and aesthetic — he's interested in the emotions and psychological processing that working with clay can reflect back at us. He sees it within himself, but also within his students, something that brings him meaning every time he opens the doors of his pottery to the townsfolk of Delft.

Credits:
Producer/Director: Fiorenzo D’Arsie & Liam McClain
Videography: Liam McClain