In Presence of Your Absence — Benedetta Pompili

Design, ceramics, editorials

Hello, I’m Benedetta, a social designer and material researcher based in Amsterdam. I explore how materials connect culture, environment, and design. With a background in ceramics, I collaborate with archaeologists, artisans, and industry partners to experiment with materials and learn from traditional crafts. I see materials not just as substances, but as carriers of history, knowledge, and cultural meaning. Through research and design, I aim to rediscover techniques, learn from craftsmanship, and create dialogue across different fields.

In Presence of Your Absence

ADI Design Museum
Lamp, porcelain, glaze
made of treated asbestos,
steel beam, LED, perspex
tube. 33x33x20 cm.

In Presence of Your Absence is a lamp-assemblage, composed by a translucent porcelain diffuser and upcycled architectural parts. It invites to look through the core of the project: a ceramic glaze made by treated asbestos.
The design promotes circular modes of production while supporting the research to counter the issues related to asbestos. The asbestos-cement, composing the 70% of the glaze, becomes inert through a low-temperature treatment, which in turn reuses local chemical waste. The patented process is the result of a collaboration with the research center Asbetter Holding (Rotterdam, NL), focusing on reducing the toxic impact of asbestos fibres.

For information or collaborations: info@benedettapompili.com

Font in use: Authentic Sans by Christina Janus and Desmond Wong.