Sundays are for rest, but they're also a perfect time for a bit of research, such as exploring how techniques in one field might inspire innovation in another. In a previous post, we looked at ceramics as a source of creative influence, so let's continue that journey by examining specific ceramic pieces and techniques that can inspire us.
Elevation & Gravity-Defying Dynamic Designs
One artist who truly embodies the mastery of elevating form is Francesco Bertos, an 18th-century Venetian sculptor renowned for his extraordinary, complex compositions.
Known for his intricate allegorical figures in bronze and marble, Bertos crafted pieces on commission, often depicting dramatic towers of human forms captured in acrobatic contortions, as if defying gravity. Bertos had an awe-inspiring approach to form and movement and his technical virtuosity shines in works like "Caduta degli angeli ribelli" (The Fall of the Rebel Angels), a masterpiece currently on display at the Gallerie d'Italia in Vicenza (until 9th February 2025). Sculpted from a single block of Carrara marble, it represents around sixty highly detailed figures locked in celestial combat between the forces of Good and Evil, as described in Saint John the Evangelist's "Book of Revelation".
The fall is brought about by the Archangel Michael that can be seen hovering in flight at the top of the composition, brandishing his sword and holding up his shield with the inscription "Quis Ut Deus" (Who is like God).
Opposite to the Archangel at the bottom of this towers of figures stands Lucifer, rebelling against God's will and the only figure standing firmly on his own two feet, armed with his fork, pointing his index finger and screaming furiously at Michael.
Originally created for a noble palace in Padua, this spectacular piece became a cultural icon, admired by luminaries like Antonio Canova and writer Herman Melville, who even lectured on it in 1858 in Cincinnati.
Bertos' works were so intricate and extraordinary that they drew the attention of the Holy Inquisition, which reportedly found it "impossible that a human hand could accomplish such work" (Schulenburg inventory of June 30, 1741).
Bertos' artistry serves as a powerful inspiration for contemporary fashion and accessory design, especially when it comes to intricate detailing and creating pieces that defy conventional expectations of material and gravity (he could be useful as a starting point to create gravity-defying headdresses or wigs that can be used as showpieces on the runway).
Biotechnology & Collages of Recycled Materials
Currently on display at the Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics in Leeuwarden, "Sustainable Ceramics #1: Recycled, Repaired, Reactivated" (until today) is the first of a trilogy on sustainability. This group exhibition features artists and designers from the Netherlands and beyond who focus on the future of sustainability in ceramics.
The showcased works highlight approaches to reduce environmental impact by reusing materials, repairing objects, and reactivating ceramic pieces, exploring both traditional and innovative techniques. Examples include Nicole Chrysikou's pioneering work in biotechnology and Cleo Mussi's unique mosaic composition.
Designer Nicole Chrysikou devised a groundbreaking method to create sustainable ceramics without kiln firing. Collaborating with scientists, she developed a bacterial culture that transforms ceramic waste into solid, durable ceramics.
Her "BacTerra" project opens a dialogue on how biotechnology can redefine ceramic production and traditional crafts, introducing methods that bypass conventional resource-intensive processes.
Artist Cleo Mussi, in her piece "Ever Save – Ever Have" (2023), takes inspiration from climate activism with a mosaic portrait of Greta Thunberg holding a set of scales, with one plate balancing symbols of the environment, such as animals and leaves, and the other weighed down by items representing industrial impact – cars, planes, space missions and a gun. This piece, crafted entirely from fragments of historic ceramics and recycled materials, captures a striking contrast between nature and human industry.
Beyond aesthetics, both Chrysikou's and Mussi's projects remind us of the endless possibilities that arise from merging creativity with responsible materials. In fashion Chrysikou may inspire us to develop further textiles through eco-friendly bacteria; Mussi's work offers an inspiring model for fashion's use of collage techniques, incorporating layers, textures, and unexpected combinations of fabric fragments for a fresh aesthetic rooted in sustainability.
Fragmented & Exploded
Starting in summer 2025, the Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics in Leeuwarden will host "Fragmented Beauty", a retrospective of Dutch artist Bouke de Vries. Originally from Utrecht and now based in London, de Vries has roots in both fashion and textiles.
After studying at Central Saint Martins, he worked with designers like John Galliano, Stephen Jones, and Zandra Rhodes before shifting careers to study ceramics conservation at West Dean College. His conservation skills became the foundation of his art: instead of mending broken ceramics, he celebrates their fragmentation, emphasizing their damage as a story in itself and transforming broken pieces into visionary works of art – think about his "Guanyin", the ancient Chinese bodhisattva of compassion, integrating plastic figurines of The Simpsons and turned into Marge.
De Vries is renowned for his innovative approach, reclaiming shards and instilling them with new meaning (he is a fan of the kintsugi technique which has also influenced fashion).
In "Fragmented Beauty", his approach to ceramics and its ties to identity and resilience will be on full display, with life-sized portraits of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, constructed from 17th- and 18th-century Delftware fragments. Other highlights include his "memory vessels", broken ceramic pieces reconstituted in glass vases that act as ghosts of the former piece, and his "Frankenstein's Teapot" – an 18th-century Dutch piece that looks as if it had exploded with ceramic butterflies hovering around it, symbolizing metamorphosis and rebirth (the butterfly often appears in Dutch still lives as it represents Christ's resurrection from the dead).
The exhibition's centerpiece will be the large-scale powerful installation "War & Pieces" that draws from aristocratic 17th- and 18th-century European tablescapes. Known as surtout de table, these banquet displays were symbolic of wealth and prestige.
Historical versions were crafted from sugar, but these displays transitioned to porcelain by the early 18th century (early ceramics modelers were often highly-skilled confectioners and sugar sculptors that mastered this transition from sugar to porcelain).
De Vries' reinterprets this grand tradition: thousands of porcelain fragments rise to form a surreal, explosive "battlefield" scene.
At the centre there is a mushroom cloud of destruction that merges religious and secular imagery: this piece integrates cherubs, skulls, and dismembered porcelain dolls alongside figures of Christ on the cross and Guanyin, witnessing the devastation from above.
Around the mushroom cloud of destruction Mars and Minerva wield cutlery as weapons – a nod to the table as a battleground.
De Vries injects satire by blending classical porcelain with contemporary elements like plastic parts, dubbed by the artist as "modern interlopers", creating anachronisms, turning the figures into hybrids and representing today's toxic waste.
Flags bearing crossed knives – a nod to Meissen's iconic factory logo of crossed spears – underscore the irony, juxtaposing history and environmental critique.
This dynamic approach to ceramics is especially inspiring for the fashion world: De Vries shows how fragments can be repurposed beyond simple collage techniques to recreate entirely new, narrative-rich pieces. His work suggests possibilities for fashion, where fabric scraps or discarded materials could be creatively reconstructed into garments that reflect both the beauty and complexity of imperfection.
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