Dimitris Kouvdis makes pottery using old techniques in his workshop by the sea on the Greek island of Lesbos. His work has recently been honored by UNESCO and included in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
At 70, Kouvdis and his family continue to use an old pottery technique near Mandamados, a place that was once busy with pottery making, even though factory machines have mostly replaced the slow, careful methods of the past, reports Reuters.
Their pottery is among the last in the Mediterranean to be produced from clay in local soil, using a traditional kiln with olive pits as fuel, with the pieces painted with natural lime.
"It's an honour for me," Kouvdis said with regard to the UNESCO recognition of his work.
He said a mechanised press can work at 10 times the speed of an individual potter. "There’s no continuity. There’s no space for (our) method to continue."
Still, he continues to produce individual pots on an outcrop of land overlooking the Aegean Sea.
"Above all, it’s a passion - trying to create something that fulfils you," he said.
Bd-pratidin English/ Afia
