{"id":4205,"date":"2024-09-11T07:54:45","date_gmt":"2024-09-11T07:54:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/battrang.museum\/?post_type=journal&p=4205"},"modified":"2025-06-10T11:52:44","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T04:52:44","slug":"to-the-loving-memories-of-a-ceramist","status":"publish","type":"journal","link":"https:\/\/battrang.museum\/en\/journal\/to-the-loving-memories-of-a-ceramist\/","title":{"rendered":"TO THE LOVING MEMORIES OF A CERAMIST"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces” css=”.vc_custom_1726036851490{background-image: url(http:\/\/battrang.museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/batch_LAI_8477.jpg?id=4220) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”20rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][vc_empty_space height=”48rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”3rem”][vc_empty_space height=”3rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_column_text]\r\n

TO THE LOVING MEMORIES OF A CERAMIST<\/span><\/h3>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”1rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][vc_empty_space height=”3rem”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″ offset=”vc_col-md-5 vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_column_text]\r\n

In the mind of V\u0169 Kh\u00e1nh T\u00f9ng, a memory remains ever vivid. It is the sight of his home, much less burdened by frequenting workmen and visitors. Gone was their restlessness, and in its place was the sound of his parents, laughing and chattering as they were redyeing one another\u2019s hair.<\/span><\/p>\r\nThe ancient village of B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng, where T\u00f9ng was born and raised, is famed for many a thing. Some know the village for its renowned dried squid soup ( canh ma\u0306ng m\u01b0\u0323c), others know the village for its antiquated gourd-shaped kilns (lo\u0300 b\u00e2\u0300u), others still even know it for its longstanding tradition of studiousness. However, above all else, one simply cannot talk about B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng without mentions of pottery-making \u2013 a craft that has always been an integral part of the village\u2019s 700-year-long history. In order to show off the fruits of their labour, the average ceramist of B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng usually build their house the old-fashioned way, with three spaces typically accompanied by a small garden. It can be said that this style of house building is practically a basic requirement for all artisans here, as \u201cit is part of the village\u2019s way of life, the space of an olden home and the work of the ceramist simply can\u2019t be separated\u201d \u2013 T\u00f9ng commented.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”6rem”][vc_column_text]\r\n

Words:\u00a0 B\u1ea3o Ch\u00e2u<\/strong>\r\nPhotos:\u00a0 L\u00ea Lai\r\n<\/strong>English Translation: T\u1ed1ng M\u1ea1nh<\/strong><\/h5>\r\n
\u00a0L’OFFICIEL VIETNAM magazine<\/strong>, issue 044, August-2024<\/a><\/h5>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″ offset=”vc_col-md-offset-1 vc_col-md-2 vc_col-sm-offset-1 vc_col-xs-offset-4 vc_col-xs-4″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md vc_hidden-sm”][vc_empty_space height=”2rem”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_single_image image=”4257″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”6rem”][vc_empty_space height=”6rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle”][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-md-offset-2 vc_col-md-3 vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner offset=”vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][vc_empty_space height=”10rem”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text el_class=”no-indent”]\r\n

In the mind of V\u0169 Kh\u00e1nh T\u00f9ng, a memory remains ever vivid. It is the sight of his home, much less burdened by frequenting workmen and visitors. Gone was their restlessness, and in its place was the sound of his parents, laughing and chattering as they were redyeing one another\u2019s hair.<\/span><\/h3>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-md-offset-1 vc_col-md-6 vc_col-sm-offset-2 vc_col-xs-offset-1 vc_col-xs-10″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner offset=”vc_hidden-lg vc_hidden-md”][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-md-6 vc_col-xs-8″][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_empty_space height=”4rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][vc_single_image image=”4207″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/4″ offset=”vc_col-md-2 vc_col-sm-offset-1 vc_col-xs-offset-1 vc_col-xs-3″][vc_single_image image=”1194″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”14rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_column_text]\r\n

When his father \u2013 the late People’s Artisan V\u0169 Th\u1eafng completed the building of their family home was also when he fulfilled his role as the head of the reconstruction of B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng\u2019s Communal House, a nationally recognized cultural heritage. By that time, T\u00f9ng had departed to work in a faraway city. Ever since then, he mostly only came back home on Lunar New Year\u2019s Eve, but in every one of his returns, the house always seemed to have a whole year worth of new stories to tell. His father, as T\u00f9ng recalls, did not have any specialty in construction design, but every time T\u00f9ng came home, changes were consistently done to the house. \u201cDad was like a tour guide \u2013 every now and then, there was this or that done to the house for him to brag about.\u201d This, to both his parents, was much like a hobby, or perhaps even a duty. There was always something to be done, as Mr. V\u0169 Th\u1eafng tended to go around the house looking for things to add to the residence, be it a houseplant, some new furnitures, a new clock, or some couplets, all antique decorations to liven up the house.<\/span><\/p>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”2rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_section el_class=”.grid-collection”][vc_row content_placement=”bottom”][vc_column width=”5\/12″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-1″][vc_single_image image=”4243″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”5\/12″][vc_single_image image=”4223″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row content_placement=”bottom”][vc_column width=”5\/12″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-1″][vc_single_image image=”4249″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”5\/12″][vc_single_image image=”4251″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”8rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle”][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-md-4 vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_column_text]\r\n

As T\u00f9ng puts it, \u201cI simply can\u2019t build a house like my father did\u201d, for no one could possibly match the renowned craftsman in terms of meticulousness, experience, and affection for the beauty of traditions. All those who visit his family home, which is also the Bat Trang Museum, will get the chance to behold the unique legacy that the People\u2019s Artisan left behind. A piece of him is in every nook and cranny of the abode, from the ceramic tiles that he himself handmade, to the very carvings on the ceiling and ancestral altor with sculptures in place of portraits. \u201cOccasionally, as I strolled around the house, there would be something new to admire, but the man who would have been eager to tell their stories isn\u2019t here to talk about them anymore\u201d \u2013 T\u00f9ng confessed.<\/span><\/p>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-md-offset-1 vc_col-md-3 vc_col-sm-offset-2 vc_col-xs-offset-1 vc_col-xs-10″][vc_single_image image=”4217″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”8rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_column_text]\r\n

As for the works of V\u0169 Kh\u00e1nh T\u00f9ng, the successor of the late V\u0169 Th\u1eafng, they are humbly placed in the garden. Namely, they are the Dragon Monobloc and the Dragon Stool of \u201cR\u1ed3ng Ph\u1ed1\u201d that he, alongside Designer Di\u1ec7u Anh and associates at B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng Museum Atelier created. In addition, there are also the ceramic totems that he collaborated with Tr\u1ea7n N\u1eef Y\u00ean Kh\u00ea to produce. It could certainly be said that these are the most modern pieces in the museum, and that they discernibly, yet harmonically contrast with their surroundings. Regarding the rest of the residence, T\u00f9ng said that he wanted to keep the house and the garden intact. In future planning, he would only expand on the front area to optimise the exhibition space. In the meantime, the museum needs rigorous maintenance, which by itself already is an incredibly taxing job. Regardless, preserving and renovating is V\u0169 Kh\u00e1nh T\u00f9ng\u2019s way of paying tribute to the museum\u2019s founder and the loving memories of his family home.<\/span><\/p>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_column_text]\r\n

\u201cOccasionally, as I strolled around the house, there would be something new to admire, but the man who would have been eager to tell their stories isn\u2019t here to talk about them anymore\u201d \u2013 T\u00f9ng confessed<\/span><\/h3>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”2rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”8rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row content_placement=”bottom”][vc_column width=”5\/12″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-1″][vc_single_image image=”4263″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”5\/12″][vc_single_image image=”4225″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row content_placement=”bottom”][vc_column width=”5\/12″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-1″][vc_single_image image=”4271″ img_size=”full”][vc_empty_space height=”2rem”][vc_column_text]\r\n
Totem – Artwork in collaboration between B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng Museum Atelier and Artist Tr\u1ea7n N\u1eef Y\u00eanKh\u00ea.<\/h5>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”5\/12″][vc_single_image image=”4265″ img_size=”full”][vc_empty_space height=”2rem”][vc_column_text]\r\n
Gh\u1ebf R\u1ed3ng bia h\u01a1i (monoblocs), artwork in collaboration between B\u00e1t Tr\u00e0ng Museum Atelier and Designer Di\u1ec7u Anh.<\/h5>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”2rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle”][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-md-4 vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_column_text]\r\n

When the late People\u2019s Artisan was still alive, the house only really stopped being hectic at the end of the year. If it was not houseworks that kept the family busy, it would have been relatives gathering for to prepare the classic cuisines like B\u00e1nh Ch\u01b0ng for the celebration of the new year. But as the house gradually received less visitors, once more would the patron and matron of house be on the front yard, blackening each other\u2019s hair \u2013 a sight that happens only once every year, and a memory that would always be held close to the heart of V\u0169 Kh\u00e1nh T\u00f9ng.<\/span><\/p>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-md-offset-1 vc_col-md-3 vc_col-sm-offset-2 vc_col-xs-offset-1 vc_col-xs-10″][vc_single_image image=”4259″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_column_text]\r\n

For the longest time, T\u00f9ng has been a direct witness to the changes of the house, and it has always been a place he can return to. Never has there been a New Year\u2019s Eve without his presence, and the hobby of his parent was also a mean to enact their sense of responsibility to the house, and to their only son\u2019s well being. \u201cWhen I first build a house of my own, I was much the same. I kept wandering around the place looking to readjust the tiniest of details until there was nothing left to do\u201d, T\u00f9ng jollily retold. \u201cMom and Dad didn\u2019t just build a house, but they also look after and improve upon it. They just love their home that much.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”4rem”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ offset=”vc_col-xs-6″][vc_single_image image=”4253″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ offset=”vc_col-xs-6″][vc_single_image image=”4261″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ offset=”vc_col-xs-6″][vc_single_image image=”4235″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ offset=”vc_col-xs-6″][vc_single_image image=”4233″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_single_image image=”4231″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space height=”2rem”][vc_single_image image=”4241″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”2rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”2rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”6rem”][vc_empty_space height=”6rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][vc_single_image image=”907″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space height=”6rem”][vc_empty_space height=”6rem”][vc_empty_space height=”6rem” el_class=”hide-mobile”][vc_empty_space height=”6rem”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

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Four Women Designers in Dialogue with Ceramic Heritage<\/h4>\n \n\t
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