Jerwood Gallery

The Jerwood Foundation has presented the Jerwood Prize for Traditional Arts 2010 to Ghulam Hyder Daudpota.  Established with The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts (PSTA) the £2,500 prize, in its third year, recognises exceptional work and talent in the field of traditional arts and craftsmanship, and is awarded annually to a PSTA student. The judging panel included Dr Khaled Azzam (Director, PSTA), Professor Keith Critchlow (Director, PSTA) and Mr Paul Marchant (Director of Education, PSTA). The prize was presented to Hyder by HRH The Prince of Wales, President of PSTA, during The Prince’s visit to the degree show.

Alan Grieve (Chairman of the Jerwood Foundation) said: ‘The Prince’s School for Traditional Arts represents all that the Jerwood Foundation stands for; to fund responsible and imaginative initiatives within the visual and performing arts, to support talented professionals in the early years of their careers, and to support excellence in all areas of human endeavour. We want to be part of the growing understanding and interest in Islamic art and to be part of a positive dialogue between Islam and the West. Alongside the Jerwood Prize we have also made a grant to the School to support its core teaching and values’.

Ghulam Hyder Daudpota belongs to a ceramic tile-making family from the small town of Nasarpur, Sindh, Pakistan, where this work has been practised for many centuries. Kashikari is now a dying art form in the region due to an absence of patronage and lack of understanding over the importance of the art form, along with the proliferation of cheap industrial products. Hyder has observed that poor quality work is produced not only for contemporary practice, but for the restoration of the historic buildings.  With this in mind he has decided to work towards a revival of traditional ceramic craftsmanship in Pakistan. During his period of study at the Prince’s School he has travelled and received internships in some of the Islamic countries where traditional ceramics are still practised. For his final project Hyder is constructing a fountain inspired by a study trip to the Alhambra Palace, Granada, Spain and Kashikari tile panels from the Jama Mosque, Nasarpur, Pakistan. The Jama Mosque was adorned with hand-painted tiles on its façade and minaret; sadly this mosque has recently been demolished.

The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts

The Prince’s School specialises in teaching, researching, and promoting the practice and theory of the arts and crafts of the world’s great traditions. The Postgraduate Education Programme of the Prince’s School balances the teaching of practical skills and understanding of symbolic meaning inherent in the forms realised through these skills.  Students are able to undertake practical research at the highest educational level through the MA, MPhil and PhD programmes which are validated by The University of Wales. Although many universities offer the possibility of studying the traditional arts as historical subjects, the fundamental principle of the School is that tradition is continual renewal.  Emphasis is placed on the traditional arts as living skills that can be applied in contemporary design and not just to restoration work.

For further information about PSTA please contact Margot Stone (Development Manager) tel: +44(0)20 7613 8532 or email: margot.stone@psta.org.uk