Mud and Water Man - ACE039.2

Woman laying dinner table with pottery plates; cottage. Pouring water from pottery jugs into mugs. Intercut with scenes of Ghanaian women collecting water in large earthenware containers. Commentary says the film is about a potter who went to West Africa for a short assignment and stayed for more than twenty years. Michael Cardew sitting down at dinner table. Michael Cardew making various pieces of pottery. His VO gives some brief biographical and career details, mentioning Bernard Leach. VO talks about his own interest in slipware. Interior of pottery; Cardew’s VO talking about making stoneware in West Africa using techniques learned from Leach, and describing the film as being "about [his] life as a potter and a return visit … made in 1973 to … West Africa…". Cardew working in pottery while talking about his youthful liking for pots made in by Edwin Fishley at the Fremington Pottery in North Devon, and on getting to know Leach and Shoji Hamada. Examples of pottery; photographs of Cardew at St Ives and Winchcombe (or the Greet) Pottery. Cardew in pottery, talking about his time there at Winchcombe. Examples of early work. Photographs of Cardew with family. His VO talks about the Depression and designing for mass production. Archive film of pottery workers in Stoke-on-Trent. His VO quotes the ideas Cardew proposed to a Mr Hewitt at Copelands. Train in rural station. Cardew’s VO talking about going to Achimota College, Ghana, in 1942. Photograph of his wife and three boys. Train leaving station. Cardew on passenger ship. Talks about conversation with fellow-passenger on his original trip, admitting that the project was as much for his benefit as for that of the Ghanaians. Archive film of pottery in Gold Coast, showing "the European instructor-expert", Cardew. Cardew’s VO over more from the film and contemporary photographs. Cardew talking about the targets set for him to produce. Photographs, with Cardew VO talking about people coming from Accra to find work. Photographs of Clement Kofi Athey; film of Kofi throwing a pot.; more from the archive film. Cardew talking about his campaign to keep the pottery going against government wishes.