LE SERE — Benedetta Pompili

Design research & ceramics from industrial residuals

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.

LE SERE

Design Signals: Chemical Bonds
Cureted by Martina Muzi
2025 - ongoing

LE SERE, Saturn, copyright of Benedetta Pompili, 2025.

LE SERE, detail from Saturn, copyright of Benedetta Pompili, 2025.

‘Le Sere’ is a series of benches and side tables made from industrial byproducts gathered across Romania. Stained, broken, or uneven offcuts of marble, limestone, andmandesite from Baia Mare are joined by steel rivets and topped with handmade ceramic tiles. The tiles are glazed using dust collected from the Cuprumin copper mine in Abrud and from wire production at Bergbanat in Timișoara.
Glaze—historically both a surface treatment and a form of containment—becomes a method of material disclosure. In the kiln, chemical residues react with heat to reveal the hidden compositions of the sites they came from. The iron can easily mute the copper. Growing amounts of zinc can show through a perfect gloss, or dramatic crystals and crawlings. Each tile becomes a kind of map—one that records the tensions between standardisation, opacity and contamination in the chemical industry.
‘Le Sere’—meaning ‘the evenings’ in Italian—offers a gesture of care toward materials at their end cycle. Through design, industrial residue is amplified rather than concealed, making visible the complex and essential interdependencies that define the chemical sector.

For information or collaborations: info@benedettapompili.com

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