Quenched asbestos x Winnie Herbstein

Design, ceramics, editorials

Hello, I am Benedetta, a social designer, artist, and material researcher based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. I work at the intersection of material experimentation, cultural inquiry, and environmental sensitivity. Trained in ceramics and shaped by collaborations with archaeologists, artisans, and industrial partners, I approach materials not as inert substances but as carriers of histories and forms of knowledge. Research and design become acts of learning craftsmanship, retracing tradition, and opening channels for interdisciplinary exchange.

Currently working on vuur collective, Investigating a footprint, Artes de la Tierra

Quenched asbestos x Winnie Herbestein

Supported by Rijskakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam
Relief of black mould spore ‘stachybotrys chartarum’, stoneware and treated asbestos glaze, 30x60x4 cm, 2024.

Panel III, treated asbestos glaze on pressed stoneware, pattern and panels realised by Winnie Herbstein, 2024.

Panel II detail, treated asbestos glaze on pressed stoneware, pattern and panels realised by Winnie Herbstein, 2024.

The series of ceramic reliefs depict a micrograph of the black mould spore ‘stachybotrys chartarum’. This specific species is found to grow on asbestos, a highly toxic material used within domestic and industrial construction. The panels are glazed with ‘Quenched Asbestos’, a glaze composed of treated absestos and recycled glass, developed during the Techfellowship program of Rijksakademie in 2022.

Panels I, II, and III, treated asbestos glaze on pressed stoneware, pattern and panels realised by Winnie Herbstein, 2024.

For information or collaborations: info@benedettapompili.com

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