Every teapot set leaving the Dat pottery studio to reach customers carries a story of pressure behind it — where technical equations and delivery deadlines force the potter to trade with long, sleepless nights. Yesterday, to keep up with the schedule for an urgent order, I had to arrange to use the small glaze test kiln to fire some more teacups, in order to compensate for the previous shortage. Recently, firing the large kiln for these tea sets has suddenly become a headache

Ocean Porifera is the latest teapot set that we created this year. The shaping idea comes from sponges living at the bottom of the ocean – creatures with large and somewhat rugged bodies. I was strongly attracted by their surface texture. The long and short interlocking grooves, and the multi-hollowed surface help the sponge have a very unique ability to filter seawater. To reproduce the most authentic and natural feeling, I chose the method of shaping the teapot set entirely