Women’s Stories – Irit Biran
You probably already know Irit Biran, and if not, we’re happy to introduce you. We’ve mentioned her quite a few times; Irit is not only a friend and colleague but also an inspiring woman. She creates beautifully precise ceramic pieces, born from her deep love of hosting and her talent for making people feel at home — but festive. Following her heart and hands is a brave journey, one that’s not to be taken for granted. We highly recommend reading this heartfelt conversation with a woman we love very much.
Photo by: Sarit Goffen
Can you introduce yourself?
I was born in Rehovot a long time ago. After my military service I studied law and for almost 20 years I worked as a lawyer in the commercial field: transactions, issuances and legal consulting for corporations. It’s not as boring as it sounds.
However, after 20 intense years of a career as a lawyer while raising a family, including the birth and upbringing of 4 children, I felt I needed a break. A change. The thrill of the legal profession, which was apart of me for many years, began to fade, and, as the thrill and passion diminish, the difficulties intensify. I felt that in the struggle to combine career and family, the career should take a step back and the family and I should receive more attention. I left my job. I thought I would take a year off and then return to the business/legal world. So, I thought.
In the meantime, in the silence that my new freedom revealed, I decided to devote one afternoon a week to an old dream – to craft pottery tableware.
Once a week became twice, which became a work corner at home. Along the way I met wonderful artists who were my mentors on my journey in the world of ceramics. Simultaneously with the clay taking over my life, the longing for the legal, analytical and familiar world diminished and I felt that I was ready to complete my change.
Photo by: Efrat Lozanov
How did the change proceed?
I wanted to give my creating studio a name, to detach from my personal name that carried with it a previous identity and to give the newborn a new name that would contain all the meanings I saw in it. During the branding process I realized that the creation of my pottery is motivated by the search for the connection between the tableware, the food served in it and the people holding it or looking at it. This connection makes the eating experience multi-sensory and holistic, one that involves feelings and senses – taste, smell, touch, sight and even sound. A connection that creates a moment of listening. A ceremony. HERE AND NOW. The food summons and encourages meaningful family and social gatherings. Eating is a daily ritual, a central axis in our lives. The attention to the holistic eating experience allows focusing on the here and now and gives meaning to the everyday moments. This is how the name NoW was born and alongside it the motto – Hand Made Rituals.
Personally, the word NoW also reflected the change within me and the connection to my contemporary self.
What is your inspiration?
Life itself. everything. The sensors are on, and everything is absorbed, mixed and sunk. After a while, the expression emerges. The essence of everything – the seasons, the shades of light, art, architecture, fashion, emotional states, landscapes and of course cuisine. The preoccupation with food yields the creation of many tools. The thought of a vessel that will contain the food and food that will be served in the vessel is an endless path of inspiration.
Does the situation in Israel today have an affect on your inspiration and work?
The current period in time is terrible. From the opposition to legal reform and moreover since October 7th, we are drowning in a sea of sadness, anger and worry. The effect is on all levels. Our country is the ground that should create stability and support for running an independent business, and not only is there no stability and no support, quite the opposite. The organizing framework is threatening and offensive and obliges us to fight for our rights and our future.
On an emotional level, we are required to function and even create alongside and despite the brokenness and worry. Along with this, in my personal experience, continuing to work is fundamental to maintaining sanity and is also a mission – to preserve the life we deserve, which we have cultivated with so much effort. I feel obligated to the community of the studio and to my employees, not to give up. The combination of all these requires a highly focused and mobilized function. There are no comfort zones and no rifling. I don’t know how much longer it will be possible to hold on like this.
How does craft and handicraft meet all this?
Craft for me it is total mindfulness. When the fingers are busy the head is calm. The roots of craft are in history, in the lineage of doing and creating, of a place, and are the depth of the creation.
Tell us a story about a dream that came true for you. How did you make this happen?
The studio in Jaffa is a dream come true. An industrial building with character on a charming street in Jaffa that allows me to fully realize my brand vision. Moving the studio from the relaxed space of my house in the country place to the city required courage and daring. The process of deciding to move, the search and the planning was accompanied by many difficulties and concerns. The process happened during the Pandemic which somehow made in-depth personal processes possible. And yes, I also had the help of psychological counseling that guided me to make the decision to follow the dream to the full.
Recommendation for life \ exhibition \ album \ motto –
Don’t be afraid of food, don’t be afraid to cook. Eat well, drink well.
Food is a connection to a place, between people. For family and community history. Food is the heart of the family and also a vast breeding ground for creativity and therapy.
What are you working on these days?
I continue to create the tableware that is sold in the studio while operating the studio space as a cultural hub. In the last few months, I started burning dishes in a gas burner. A technique that allows for special glazes and also involves an exciting process. Ceramics is an endless journey of learning. My lack of knowledge and the long road ahead of me make me feel younger than my years.
What do you wish for the coming year?
May the abductees be returned.
May the war end and the soldiers return home.
Let the government be replaced.
And let us begin processing the fracture in the hope of healing.
