Erasmus, Peter Behrens School of Architecture and Design, Düsseldorf (DE), 2017.
BA, Industrial Design & Ceramics, ISIA Faenza (IT), Cum laude, 2014–2018.
Founder & designer, vuur collective, Amsterdam (NL), October 2024–ongoing.
Designer in residency, Creative Residency Arita (Japan), January–March 2024.
Lecturer, Natural Materials in Ceramics, The Material Way, January 2024–ongoing.
Fellow Researcher, LINA x TU Wien, October 2023–August 2024.
Tutor, Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam (NL), September–ongoing.
Ceramic workshop specialist, KABK, The Hague (NL), January–August 2023.
Tech Fellow, Rijskakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam (NL), Jan–Dec 2022
RAW.obj, Pioneers in Ceramics, Prinsenhof Museum Delft (NL), February–June 2024.
Conversing with Matter, Princessehof Ceramic Museum (NL), Nov 2023–2024.
In Presence of Your Absence + RAW.obj, Open Studios, Rijkskademie (NL), 2024.
In Presence of Your Absence, Hong Kong Design Institute (CH), January–May 2024.
In Presence of Your Absence, ADI Design Museum, Milan (IT), 2023.
In Presence of Your Absence, Material District, Utrecht (NL), 2023.
Vestiges, Alcova, Milan Design Week, Fuorisalone, Milan (IT), 2023.
Raw.obj, Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten (NL), 2022.
SPAZIO 1/2, Drop City, Fuorisalone, Milano (IT), 2022.
Ciona Are Doing Well, SVA Bio Art Lab, New York, 2022.
Conversing with Matter, DAE75!, Fuorisalone, Milano (IT), 2022.
Conversing with Matter, Rethinking Plastic, Yksi Expo , Eindhoven (NL), 2022.
Conversing with Matter, Design Fest Gent, Design Museum (BE), 2022.
Conversing with Matter, From the Ground Up, Material Source Studio (UK), 2022.
Conversing with Matter, Design Open, Kazerne, Eindhoven (NL), 2021–2022.
Conversing with Matter, DDW2021, DAE Graduation Show, Eindhoven (NL).
Ciona Are Doing Well, Interspecies Futures, NY Center for Book Arts, 2020.
Grant, Starting Design Grant, Stimuleringsfonds, 2023–2024.
Award, Young New Talent, Material District, Utrecht (NL), 2023.
Grant, Creative Residency Arita, Japan, Stimuleringsfonds, 2022–2024.
Grant, Building Talent, Stimuleringsfonds, 2021.
Nominee, Gijs Bakker Design Award, Design Academy Eindhoven, 2021.
Van der Hoopstraat 91H, 1051VD, Amsterdam (NL)
Font in use: Authentic Sans by Christina Janus and Desmond Wong.
©Benedetta Pompili 2025
vuur collective
Material Assemblies
Make no bones about
Raw.obj
Quenched Asbestos x Winnie Herbstein
In Presence of Your Absence
Conversing with Matter
In bones we dwell, for yours we wait x Bruno Baietto
FU Review N11
Sea Silt x Humade
FU Review N10
BC/99
Creative Residency Arita, Japan
2024
The project began with a gesture of preservation of form, material, and process. Rather than introducing new objects, the focus shifted to reinterpreting the traditional hama, the porcelain props used to avoid cracking and helping the shrinking. The large majority of objects made in porcelain are fired on a hama, which is tossed away after one use.
A large quantity of hama was once produced in Arita, Japan. Following the retirement of a local Hama maker, the Saga Potters Association acquired his moulds to support continuity among regional kilns. Through this initiative, the project gained access to communal moulds—offering a foundation rooted in the region’s ceramic heritage.
Among a vast and largely undocumented variety, the moulds selected were those used by the recently assigned Arita kiln, Housem. Renting these moulds eliminated the need for new forms, ensuring alignment with shapes already integrated in local kiln practices.
In its early phase, the project produced over 200 Hamas in three sizes, using a jiggering machine typically reserved for mass production. With the support of Eguchi-san from the Saga Research Laboratory, this system was adapted to suit a more exploratory context. The Hamas were kept leather-hard for several weeks—paused in transition—while the next design phase unfolded.
Further development required an understanding of porcelain variation and its subtle shifts during drying and firing. Theproject drew from the expertise of master mould maker Mr. Yamaguchi.
Parallel to the form-making, the project investigated the archival potential of colour—specifically the pink hue of bisque porcelain. Using nerikomi techniques, pigments were blended into the porcelain body, with extensive testing to determine the ideal ratios reproducing the pale pinky shade of the bisqued porcelain. Under the guidance of Masami Kuwabata, three porcelain grades were mixed, tested, and refined. Over time, the process established its own rhythm—of timing, thickness, and drying—repeated across multiple forms.
The final works were presented in a Tashiro Japanese-Western house in Arita,a symbolic hybrid site combining harmoniously and sharing a blend of cultures. Displayed on traditional green crates used for porcelain transport, the pieces reflected a continuous dialogue between tradition and its reinterpretation.