Visting Gaya Ceramics in Ubud, Bali
Better late than never, I have been meaning to share my visit to Gaya Ceramics for months. Last summer during our whirlwind round the world summer holiday, we landed in Bali. Our base for the trip was the Bulgari Hotel in Uluwatu.
We couldn’t go all that way and not explore the island just a little, so we headed to Ubud and made a stop at Gaya Ceramics. E had been before a few years ago. My first introduction to Gaya was at the Amanoi Hotel in Vietnam. Gaya are the leaders in bespoke hand crafted tableware and bathroom amenities in the luxury hotel market. Commissioned by most Aman’s worldwide, Bulgari Hotels, Cheval Blanc, Park Hyatt’s and Armani Casa amongst many other private commissions.
We have various espresso and tea cups at home, not realising until now why I was always told to be so careful when using them.
Italian Owner Founder and Creative Chief Marcello Massoni, and Irina Pampararo, Marketing and Design Advisor were both on hand to take us around the workshops. They walked us through each process from the design, prototyping, throwing, firing and glazing stages.
Marcello and partner Michela Foppiani first moved to Bali in 2002, with just had a couple of helping hands assisting them. Fast forward all these years and the company has grown to 80 employees mostly coming from Sayan where the company is located.
The majority of the team were initiated in ceramics with the company’s internal training program. The team is a multicultural, Balinese Hindu, Christians, Muslims and Buddhists are happy to share the same passion.
“It is our hope to make our work speak for itself. Through study and constant experimentation, we search for the ideal expressions to translate the stimuli around us, large and small, into objects that uncover the shapes, colours and moods from within the world.
We try to do this honestly and without discrimination. Our every day is a fusion of sure and unsure circumstances, an infinite world of technical precision and mistakes, hard work and delusions, simplicity and happiness. For us, nothing is more lovely.”
Exploring the glazing studio, plenty of new glazes are tested with all the pigments carefully documented for future studies.
Various final examples ready to be packaged below to shipped to clients worldwide.
In 2010 the Gaya Ceramics and Arts Centre was developed over the road from the main site as the educational branch of the production company. The two spaces coexist which benefits all clients and employees simultaneously. Click here to look into courses over the coming year.
Founder Matteo frequently presents his new creations on the Gaya Instagram account (follow here).
Visit Gaya Ceramics & Design ~ Jl. Raya Sayan 105, Ubud Bali, Indonesia 80571
Click here for the Arts Centre & Click here for the Design website
With thanks to the Bulgari Hotel Bali for arranging the visit.
LWSY Visited Gaya in August 2016