Interview to Lina Llompart, ceramic and fruniture restoration teacher in Modelmon.
When was started this initiative of formation sessions on ceramics with Modelmon?
Well it goes back to the begining of this last generation Modelmon as we know it. 25 years ago we started the first sessions of craftamanship as the firsts, and by least the onlies, on Mallorca. In fact since Modelmon opened it has a big cultural vocation and nowadays we are the only who have an initiative of this kind. In fact there was a time were a bus service was started to pick up the students from differents locations as Pina, Palma, Algaida…
¿What consists the actual ceramics courses of Modelmon?
Actually, and since few decades, we are taking courses of ceramics. With one of the groups- whose members shows himself at the photos of this magazine- wwe are going one step further forming them on the restoration of furniture and introduce them to themes related with the handcraft, because these discplines combine perfectly. Is an especial circumstance aswell the nature of the group, what is composed by students who, despite have a different age -adults, children…-, all of them coincide on they have very much time with us an drag with them a solid knowledge.
On what new goals are they working now?
Now we will start to run a furniture restoration session for adults, for it is necessary distribute by age the students on homogenic groups. It will be on the mornings – the days are not decided from now- restore all the ancient furniture, vintage, pop art… May teach techniques from were you take as an abandoned, you buy it on a second hand store or you have it on your home until it can go out to the public. Here we use different techniques to recicle furniture and we help other people to learn to paint on “chalk paint”, that is a paint with great boom. It is a chalk paint that have Annie Sloan as one of his important precursor, she has created his own lab where she completely restore furniture, from vivid colors, totally decaped, etc. And that’s what we want to run ourselves on Modelmon from this course.
What role have actually the ceramics in the interiorism?
After a few years where low much with growth of the companies what sales on a industrial way and very cheap. But slowly is growing again with a current, very restrained from now, of valoration of the artisan work and with the intention of give value to the restoration of antique pieces what fits with the modern decoration, for example, minimalism.
What new trends do we have now in ceramics and what interest is showing new generations on this discipline?
One of the last currents is impulsing restore what is ours, the roots of Majorcan culture with his different expresions on the world of art and decoration. For example, there are lots of tableware designed with the “Majorcan tongues”, adapting this striped patterns that is taking again by a very slow and small steps.
New generations don’t show very much interest on the ceramics but ye, also, on the furniture restoration. It’s a strong growing demand what is interested on use new techniques of fashion on decoration as vichy, art déco… Is clear that an important part of this resurge is by an economic motivation: take old furniture and materials to regenerate basing on this decoratives lines of others epoques that are taking lot of interest today. With it they decore their homes, dress it again, and over it learn to restore ancient pieces.