The Mind of Clay

In 1985, filmmaker Mani Kaul received an assignment from the Festival of India to make a film about the pottery tradition in India. The result was anything but a conventional, informative commissioned documentary—instead, it's a poetic road movie. Kaul and his crew traveled in a bus through the north of the country, filming potters in the local villages, as well as at exhibitions and excavations. His beautiful footage is characterized by a great eye for detail. He focuses on glistening hands as they conjure pots and other objects from clay, taking long shots that give us an intense, almost physical experience of the items that emerge. He also records the many myths and legends surrounding this centuries-old tradition, which has been passed down from generation to generation. The Mind of Clay isn't only a visual ode to the craft and beauty of ceramics, but also a poetic essay on the earth as the mother and source of both life and art.