The beautiful mess we made

My 8-year-old daughter Juno’s art class in school tackled pottery. However, instead of clay, all they had to handle was an app called Pottery Master. I felt so sad for her, as she loves making slime, drawing and creating little things with play dough or air-dry clay.

One of my taekwondo instructors also taught ceramic making at a nearby shop. His mom was my classmate and told me about Mess We Made.

Established in 2018, Mess We Made is an art studio in Seoul, where Sunshine Faye Arcilla studied marble ceramics. She loved the concept so much that she opened a Philippine studio in 2021.“Our technique is all hand-building, friendly to beginners and children. It’s like playing with play dough,” Arcilla explained. “After designing, we use gypsum molds to take the shape of the ceramic item.”

Juno uses a mold to form her bunny drawing

Satisfying

We selected a slot at 2 p.m. Juno and my son Jack, 13, were the only students. Teacher BG first demonstrated the entire process as the kids watched. It took about 20-30 minutes and the kids were getting antsy, eager to begin. However, the exercise in patience was necessary for them to see all the steps and have a good understanding before starting. Even then, they needed some assistance in remembering what to do. First, they selected a few colors of clay they wanted to marble together (marbling is optional, but fun) and weighed them on a digital scale to 350 grams for the bowl they would make. They stretched each color out into logs and folded them into each other about 10 times.

Teacher BG demonstrates how to make ceramic bowls

Next, they formed it into a spiral like a cinnamon roll, then compacted the sides. Then, they used a nylon string to cut the flat ball in half. It was satisfying to see the beautiful marbling pattern they created.

They placed the halves back-to-back to show the pattern on both sides and compacted the sides again. Afterward, they rolled it out using guides to ensure it flattened to the desired thickness on a wet cloth. Any cracks had to be smoothed out with their wet fingers. At this point, they can choose how to design their creations. An assortment of stamps and molds were available. Juno chose to form a bunny while Jack decided to freestyle a flock of ducks.

When they were done, they had to carefully flip it and roll the back to press the design in, then flip it back and sponge off the designed side.

The many creations on display at Mess We Made Manila

Hands-on

Teacher BG took over the more delicate process of placing their work on an inverted mold, carefully karate-chopping the sides to form it into a proper bowl shape. Then, the kids embossed shapes and letters at the bottom to brand their creations. After some time, Teacher BG loosened the bowls from the molds to unveil their work. We’ll get them back after 4-6 weeks; after drying and glazing, the colors will deepen.The class fee per person depends on the number of items to be made in class. For an hourlong class, you can make a plate or a cup for P2,500, a bowl for P2,200 or design a glass cup for P1,000. We chose this option but the class ran longer than an hour because of the 30-minute demo beforehand. Some sessions run for two hours, where you can make a plate/cup and a saucer for P3,300 or a plate, bowl and saucer for P4,000.

Due to the hands-on nature of the classes, slots are limited, so prebooking is required to ensure availability. Prepayment is also necessary to confirm your booking, and is nonrefundable, unless deemed otherwise. Rescheduling is allowed, but only once.

Mess We Made is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The class fee includes all the tools and materials, kiln firing and glazing. All materials are sourced from Korea. The ceramic creations are food-safe, oven-safe, freezer-safe and microwave-safe.Before class, tie your hair back, trim your nails and remove any accessories. It’s best to wear light-colored clothes because ceramic clay leaves a white powder residue which can transfer onto your attire during ceramic-making; alternatively, you can wear an apron. Parking in Bloc 10 is limited and is on a first-come, first-serve basis, which is a bit of a stressor, so it was a good thing we arrived ahead of time.

The children had fun making bowls on a Sunday afternoon. Juno was pleased, saying she finally had something exciting to share with her class when the teacher asks them during homeroom what they did over the weekend.

Mess We Made: Bloc 10, Unit R114, Corporate Woods Avenue, Filinvest City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City (in front of FEU Alabang); PIN: Grail Fitness Collective Bloc10; iInstagram: @mwm_manila