Benedetta Pompili – Ceramic & Social Designer in Amsterdam
Benedetta PompiliDesign research & ceramics
InstagramDust, Rehearsed

CV & studio detailsBenedetta Pompili is a social and industrial designer interested in the cultural and political meanings behind craftsmanship. By composing each clay body or glaze from scratch, each project aims at delineating ways of coping with tradition and its ecosystem. 
      Urban and industrial remnants costantly recur in the work. Their incorporation becomes a tool to investigate on their ambiguous status and circulation.
       At the core of her practice lies an interest in daily repeated gestures and in process as a form of knowledge. This extends beyond objects into the design of shared workspaces. They are intendend as environments that support exchange and collaboration
.

 Make no bones aboutMaterial & cultural research on bone china production
2024-ongoing
Supported by Stimuleringsfonds

This project explores the history and evolution of bone china, from its invention by Thomas Frye and Edward Heylin in 1744 to its refinement by Josiah Spode in 1759. Thanks to collaborations with the Spode Archive Trust, Stoke-on-Trent City Archives, and other experts, historical recipes and letters have been uncovered, shedding light on its development.
Through archival research, factory visits, and interviews, the project has examined bone china production in both Japan and the UK. Key findings include differences in material composition—Japanese manufacturers use synthetic bone ash, while UK producers rely on natural bone ash. The visits to Stoke-on-Trent’s Wedgwood and Valentin Clays Ltd. further deepened the material research.
 
Bone china stock and production facilties, courtesy of Global Ceramics, Stoke on Trent, 2024.
Bottle ovens, Stoke on Trent, 2024.

 
Parallel to historical studies, the project is actively developing a vegan bone china alternative. With support from Susphos, a sustainable material called Phoenix Bond—derived from recycled phosphoric byproducts—is being tested. As production scales up in 2025, further experiments will refine this waste-based innovation.

Bone china production facilities, courtesy of Valentin Clays std. Stoke on Trent, 2024.
Etruria industrial museum, previous Shirley’s bone mill and ashes developer. Stoke on Trent, 2024.



For information or collaborations: info@benedettapompili.com
Font in use: Authentic Sans by Christina Janus and Desmond Wong.

Copyright of Benedetta Pompili, 2025.