RAKU Raku means "living in harmony with things and people". This technique was devised in Japan in the 16th Century to create bowls for the tea ceremony, in accordance with the spirit of Zen philosophy. In Raku firing, the piece is removed from the kiln when it has reached the enamel fusion temperature (920-940°); subsequently it is covered in sawdust, which catches fire when it touches the white-hot object. The combustion is stopped and the piece is covered in order to retain the smoke, which gives the article a blackish glaze characterised by unusual and striking reflections.THE MOTHER GODDESS AND THE BULL In pre-nuraghic Sardinia the earth, conceived and venerated as an erotically nude mother portrayed with synthetic forms and stylised decorations, becomes a procreative goddess, the origin of all forms of life and the central element in the cycle of nature. In the earth (under ground) the destiny of both vegetation and humanity is played out through the process of birth-death-rebirth. Maternal figurines and protomes (ancient decorative elements in the shape of heads) of bulls are the feminine and masculine features that synthesise the life cycle. The taurine heads are the predominant figurative elements in the necropolises of the pre-nuraghic period, evoking the strength and fertility essential for the reproduction of the unceasing life cycle. The mother goddess and the bull, respectively perceived as the moon and the sun, are cyclical and complementary and as they alternate they determine the existence of all forms of life.