Rama Saman crafts a vase out of clay at her workshop in Damascus, Syria, Jan. 18, 2024. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)
by Hummam Sheikh Ali, Ji Ze
DAMASCUS, March 8 (Xinhua) -- In the midst of conflict and turmoil in Syria, Rama Saman, a talented ceramicist with a background in fine arts and media design, has found solace and inspiration in the art of pottery and is passing this art to others as a form of therapeutic art.
At her workshop in Damascus, Saman spends her day working on ceramics, creating various forms of objects with clay. The process involves several steps, including shaping the clay, baking it in a kiln, and adding glazes or other finishes.
For the 30-year-old artist, who hails from a family of artists with her father being a painter and her mother and sister also creating ceramic artwork, working on ceramics is a highly creative and rewarding process, which allows her to express herself through a versatile and durable medium.
During the early years of the war in Syria, she found solace in making artistic designs and was immersed in her own world of beauty and creativity despite the surrounding turmoils.
Saman told Xinhua that creating ceramic objects requires patience and sensitivity to details, as the process is time-consuming and intricate.
In face of the difficulties and challenges, such as electricity shortages, the uncertainty of Syria's future and the lack of tourists who are the main buyers of such artwork, Saman remains sanguine and passionate about her craft.
In her eyes, working on clay is not just a creative endeavor, but also a form of meditation and an escape from the stress of everyday life.
"Working with your hands actually takes out every stress you have, and especially in pottery for me, it's a way to escape as well as a way to understand the world," she said.
She sees pottery as a path to connect with the world and understand the fundamentals that make up life itself -- water, fire, clay, and air.
"It's a way to understand maybe life itself. The clay comes from dirt and also the air that we breathe. So it combines everything in a way that I think that's why it's some meditation for me somehow. This combination makes you more connected to earth," she said.
Looking into the future, Saman will make pottery a form of art therapy. She believes that by incorporating the therapeutic benefits of working on clay, she can help others find relief and peace in their own lives.
Now, she is giving training courses to students and people who are interested in learning this art, referring to the move as another fulfilling process to introduce people to a healthy way to release their stress and make something creative.
"I'm very interested in developing this as an art therapy. So that's what I'm hoping for in the future. That's what I'm studying at the moment. I would like to see how we can create a program that is like an art therapy through the work in pottery and ceramics," she said.
Undeterred by the challenges from the pro-longed Syrian war and the country's economic hardship, Saman is determined to continue exploring different styles and techniques in her work, and inspire others to find hope and beauty in the midst of adversity. ■
Rama Saman carves on a pottery vase at her workshop in Damascus, Syria, Jan. 18, 2024. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)
Rama Saman shows a ceramic product at her workshop in Damascus, Syria, Jan. 18, 2024. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)
This photo taken on Jan. 18, 2024 shows a ceramic product at Rama Saman's workshop in Damascus, Syria. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)
Rama Saman crafts a vase out of clay at her workshop in Damascus, Syria, Jan. 18, 2024. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)
Rama Saman shows ceramic products at her workshop in Damascus, Syria, Jan. 18, 2024. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)
Rama Saman shows ceramic products at her workshop in Damascus, Syria, Jan. 18, 2024. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)
