Jun

Jun by Sel MacLean is a six-minute short about using art and craft for utility. It sends across a loud and clear message about preserving lost arts like pottery in the face of modern machines but does it subtly. Jun Rhee, a South Korean craftsman, believes that if we let the machines take over the production of objects, ‘there won’t be growth, there is no next. It only repeats’. This line encapsulates the whole message of the film. Although we are surrounded by technology that governs our life, handicraft makes us human, creates uniqueness in our lives and drives our collective imagination forward.

Jun Rhee’s soulful narration combined with the visuals of him making clay bowls and pots feels artful to watch. The calm of his voice is beautifully enmeshed with the depth of what he has to say. He uses death as a metaphor for the destiny of ceramics. The warm lighting amplifies the whole experience while the message of the film stays true. If this is what art therapy feels like, sign me up!

A meditative little film that begins with Jun pouring flakes of wet clay in water and mixing it up for use and ends with the breaking up of bowls that were discarded from the previous lot and reusing the clay to make a new mixture. Reuse, recycle, need for preservation of old crafts and creating functional art – a whole bunch of wonderful messages captured in a short time. Highly recommended.

Written by Nikita Zankar