"The Language of Coils", with Elena Vasilantonaki, Registration opens on January 2nd, 2027
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  • "The Language of Coils", with Elena Vasilantonaki, Registration opens on January 2nd, 2027
    • }
  • "The Language of Coils", with Elena Vasilantonaki, Registration opens on January 2nd, 2027
    • }
  • "The Language of Coils", with Elena Vasilantonaki, Registration opens on January 2nd, 2027
    • }
  • "The Language of Coils", with Elena Vasilantonaki, Registration opens on January 2nd, 2027

"The Language of Coils", with Elena Vasilantonaki, Registration opens on January 2nd, 2027

Produktet er udsolgt.

7.655,00 DKK

Lagerstatus: Ikke på lager

Masterclass: The Language of Coils

A three-day hand-building and surface-research journey with Elena Vasilantonaki
Step into a world of clay, texture and transformation!
Join us for a deep-dive, hands-on three-day masterclass with renowned ceramic artist Elena Vasilantonaki from Greece. This experiential masterclass is designed for anyone passionate about clay – whether you’re just starting out (with a basic familiarity) or looking to deepen your practice. Together, we’ll explore hand-building, surface research and the dynamic dialogue between clay, texture and place.
Dates: 9th - 11th of June, 2027 
Location: LerKalaset, Ry, Denmark
Duration: 3 days
Teaching hours: 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM (including 1-hour lunch break)
Format: Coil building, surface research, texture, slip-work
Includes: Clay 12 kg per participant (extra clay may be purchased or brought for larger pieces), coffee/tea and snacks
Firing options: Participants may have their pieces fired by paying a kiln-and-glazing service fee (DKK 150-1200 per piece, depending on size). Unfired pieces can be collected at no additional cost.
Number of masterclass enrollments: 12
Masterclass enrollment fee: DKK 7.655 (1024 €)
What to expect
A three-day exploration of handbuilt vessels, visible construction and surface transformation. The workshop develops the visual language of zonaria: the bands formed by flat coils, whose joints, widths and arrangement give a vessel its rhythm and character.
Participants will make two distinct vessels. A cleanly defined, pithari-inspired form will focus on coil variations and joints. A second, organic vessel will explore impressions, additions and carving in dialogue with the underlying construction, followed by selected porcelain-slip applications.
Erosion techniques will be explored on the bone-dry first vessel. If time allows, the workshop will also include a demonstration and making of a small schistolithic form inspired by layered rock.
Day by day: A creative exploration
From construction to surface
Day 1 / Pithari & zonaria
Build a pithari-inspired vessel with a clearly defined silhouette. Demonstrations will explore visible and softened joints, interruptions, additional coils, graduated coil sizes and variations in width within an individual band. Participants will select a coherent combination for their own vessel.
The first vessel should be completed on Day 1 and prepared for controlled overnight drying, so that it is fully bone dry before the Day 3 erosion session.
Day 2 / Organic form & texture
Build a second vessel with a freely developed organic form. Demonstrations will introduce impressions, added elements, raised surfaces and carving, considering how these interact with the coil joints. Participants will choose a focused surface direction rather than apply every technique to one piece.
At leather hard, introduce porcelain slip on raised surfaces and into carved areas. The carved-slip application will be sponged back only once the piece is bone dry. The timing of construction and decoration will follow the condition of the clay.
Day 3 / Erosion & finishing
Demonstrate and apply the porcelain-slip and sodium-bicarbonate erosion technique, using vinegar, on the bone-dry pithari. Selective application will allow the coil structure and joints to remain legible.
Sponge back the slip-filled carving on the organic vessel where it has reached bone dry. Review the surface techniques, drying sequence and further development of the work. If time remains, demonstrate a small schistolithic form, with participant making as time permits.
Learning outcomes
Participants will develop practical experience in flat-coil construction; explore joints and band variations as a visual language; relate texture to form; and understand the different clay stages required for porcelain-slip and erosion applications.
Elena Vasilantonaki - Artist statement
Elena Vasilantonaki is a Greek ceramic artist based in Athens, where she explores the meeting point between ancient pottery traditions and contemporary ceramic art. Since founding her studio practice in 2019, she has created unique hand-built vessels using coiling techniques, emphasising the meditative and intuitive process of slow making.
Inspired by the timeless pottery forms of her Greek heritage, Elena’s work reinterprets rather than replicates historical shapes, questioning function and progress. Her vessels are defined by tactile textures, visible joins and surfaces that invite touch and close observation – embracing imperfections as traces of the human hand and the making process.
Elena’s practice is deeply rooted in the Greek landscape. She collects and experiments with natural materials – wild clays, olive ash, minerals and found objects – incorporating them into her work and building a personal archive of textures and techniques. This research-led approach informs both her artistic practice and her teaching, where she encourages participants to develop their own visual language through experimentation and sensory awareness.
As a workshop facilitator, Elena values exchange – between cultures, materials and ways of working. She believes in teaching as a shared, exploratory process that nutures creativity and attentiveness in every participant.
Elena studied ceramics with Janet Lines and Menandros Papadopoulos. Her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries across Greece, including the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion and MonCoin Gallery in Athens.
Each piece carries the story of its making – land, time and hand.

 

Practical information: transport and accommodation
If you require accommodation near the studio, we recommend:
If you arrive by car, free parking is available at the studio. If you travel by public transport, there are trains and buses from Aarhus to Ry. From Billund and Aarhus airports, pick-up can be arranged for €60 or a taxi for around €130. Alternative and cheaper options are bus and train from both airports.
 
Registration is confirmed upon payment.
Once you have received the order confirmation per email, you are registered for the masterclass. The invoice you receive per email shortly thereafter is valid as your ticket. (Note that both order confirmation and invoice will be issued in the Danish language). Your registration is binding. Refund or exchange will only take place in the event that LerKalaset reschedules or cancels the dates. You may sell your ticket if you are prevented from participating. If so, please inform LerKalaset of the name and email address of the new participant.

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