D’taen dips her brush in red colored glaze and paints a disk in seconds. Thali lays out the beads to be dried before bisque firing. In the background, one girl mushes clay while another one sands off the tiles to a smooth finish. Savat walks around checking the quality and gives his nod. A dog barks, a cat meows, and the leaves rustle. It is just another day at Claycult.
A visit to Claycult Cambodia
As I planned my Siem Reap trip, I realised that wanted to do something non -touristy. I thought of taking a Ceramic bowl making class when I chanced upon Claycult Cambodia. A Ceramic bead making studio that mixes their own glazes – “Ooohh, I must visit”, I thought to myself. When I checked out their website I learned that they train local Khmer women to not just make gorgeous beads and jewelry but in all aspects of running a business. I was intrigued and I wanted to interact with them. I reached out to Lucienne, the founder of Claycult and offered to teach the girls some wire jewelry basics.
When the trip was postponed, I was frustrated but Lucienne agreed to reschedule it for me. I spent two fabulous half days at their studio. That experience made the Siem Reap trip one of the best vacations, I have ever taken in my life.
Ceramic Bead Making
Claycult is a handmade ceramic business that strives to provide safe and sustainable work to the locals. They are very particular about quality. They source their own white clay, mash, soak and ready it to match their standards. Their beads are then hand rolled by the Khmer women who are trained by them. Components are created based on moulds created by their Manager and in-house designer Savat, who has been with Robby and Lucienne since day one. The beads and components are dried and bisque fired in their kiln, under the watchful eyes of their “Kiln Master”.
After that, the beads are coated with glazes specially prepared in-house, dried and fired. The hand painting process makes the beads truly artisanal. The girls add a little bit of themselves to each bead and component that is made by them. This sense of ownership is what differentiates Claycult from a mass bead manufacturer. You can catch behind the scenes glimpses along with pictures of gorgeous beads on their instagram channel.
Inside the studio
The first day I visited, I was given a tour and got an opportunity to admire all their magnificent beads. I did a Facebook live video interviewing Lucienne as well. Usually, when we look at a business we see product, service, profits and processes. Rarely do we get to know about the people who are the business. I was lucky, as I was given an insider’s look into not just their business and their design process but also got to know the people there.
The story of Rob and Lu moving to Cambodia and falling in love with the land and its people is as beautiful as their beads. Lu also gave me an insight into the background of people working there and their stories. It was heart-wrenching and heartwarming at the same time to learn of their trials and victories. It felt welcoming and not as though I was in a stranger’s house in an unknown land. Their hospitality extended to a dinner at Dakshins where we bonded over Dosas and wine.
Jewelry Workshop
The next afternoon, after a visit to the Textiles museum, I head over to Claycult to share some of my jewelry making ideas with the Girls who worked there. Most of the girls did not speak English. But I had no trouble communicating with them. Also, I had Thali, the clay room manager as my interpreter as Lu had to go on a trip. The previous day, I had picked out a few beads for the different ideas that I had. I began by teaching them simple wire loops. We moved on to create bead pendants and charms. They were most excited to see the bird’s nest pendant take shape. Vwee and Somnang were fast learners and could make wrapped loops and spiral bead caps easily.
Design Outcome
At the present, they import all their findings. So I thought it would be interesting for them to learn how to make hooks and clasps on their own using wire. Seen above are two earrings that I showcased in my Ultraviolet earrings post. Given the shortage of time, I thought it would be prudent to develop the skills they already have. So we did many variations of wraps and loops. I also introduced materials like silk fabric and suede cord in their jewelry in a way that is very different from their existing approach.
As I gave them input on techniques and colour coordination, it was interesting for me to see what was it that they liked. Also, the girls picked beads that they themselves had created so it became a personal process.
Photoshoot
Even if I try, I cannot forget the impromptu photoshoots that we did. From decking myself with jewelry for Insta stories to product photography on a neck form, it was so much fun to pose and shoot.
As I closed the studio gate on the second day, I lingered. I went to Claycult, half expecting to fall inlove with their beads. What I did not forsee was, that this is the life, that I want for myself. To wake up in a beautiful house surrounded by lush trees and work on beads and jewelry while helping my community is something that I truly desire. With gratitude that was entwined with a bit of envy I left. As I zipped through signals, riding pillion on a scooter while discussing design inspirations with Savat I only had one thought in my head. That I really do want an experience like this once again in the future.
I am sorry that I took 4 months to write this post. But with my constant travels, classes, a big jewelry project, and other commitments, I was unable to write a post that was worthy of the hospitality that was shown to me. I do hope that I have done justice to openness with which I was welcomed and I do really hope that I got everybody’s names right.
I feel that the opportunity to meet and bond with new people who share your passion is one of the biggest perks of travelling alone. So I’ll continue to travel and meet new people. If you run a design or manufacturing studio and would like to invite me in, please do write to me.
Leave a Reply