Interviews with Maru Meleniou
Designer profileGrand Interview
30 October 2025 · Throbbing Stillness Vessel
The idea of containing “nothingness” guided me to focus on the vessel’s inner space rather than its function. Instead of holding objects, it holds quiet potential. Through the slow coiling process, I shaped the form around this void, treating emptiness as something alive and meaningful. The organic shape and imperfect whiteness emphasize this subtle presence. Throbbing Stillness aims to invite viewers not to use it, but to experience a moment in time where emptiness balances between existence and stillness, a space of uncanny familiarity.
Kenya Hara’s writing on “White” and the Zen concept of emptiness encouraged me to see form not as something to define, but as something always in the process of becoming. Instead of shaping the vessel into a perfect, controlled object, I allowed it to develop an organic, almost breathing presence. The choice of color follows the same principle: the whiteness of the surface is not meant to be pure or flawless, but a quiet, open state that creates space for the viewer’s perception. Zen reminds us that emptiness is not absence, but potential.
I chose the ancient coiling technique for its slow, meditative rhythm, allowing both the form and myself to develop gradually, like a living organism.
My creative process often revolves around the dialectic of opposites. The tension between movement and stillness emerged organically through the process of making. I wanted the piece to feel alive yet serene, to vibrate subtly without motion.
Working with the constraint of not over-manipulating the clay forced me to trust its natural tendencies. I responded to its subtle shifts and textures rather than imposing strict control. This approach shaped the vessel’s organic, throbbing silhouette and contributed to the intentionally imperfect whiteness of the surface. By honoring the clay’s inherent properties, the final piece embodies a sense of alive stillness, where spontaneity and restraint coexist, reinforcing the dialogue between form and emptiness.
I am deeply interested in the materiality of my medium and wish to bring out its raw nature and inherent qualities. After experimenting with various colors and glazes, I realized that these additions often overshadowed the material’s autonomy. By minimizing glazing, I aim to highlight the naked expressiveness of the clay, using white as a quiet space to hold the viewer’s personal reflections. This honesty allows the work to communicate through presence rather than through the distractions of ornamentation.
Just as the heart’s rhythm is sensed rather than seen, Throbbing Stillness conveys vitality through its form and presence rather than through explicit motion. Its subtle curves and throbbing silhouette allow viewers to feel the pulse of life embedded in the clay, creating an intimate, contemplative experience without needing to witness literal movement.
Most handcrafted objects naturally create a space for reflection through the subtle thread of connection with the maker. In the case of Throbbing Stillness Vessel, this is amplified by the unexpected organic form that emerges from the coiling process. The combination of handcraft, organic spontaneity and intelectual content hopefully transforms it from a static object into a space for personal reflection.
By treating the vessel as a container for ideas and contemplation rather than physical objects, I wanted to challenge the traditional notion of functionality in ceramics. This approach opens the door for future ceramic art to focus less on utility and more on experiential and conceptual engagement.
Exhibiting Throbbing Stillness Vessel at Milan Design Week and receiving the Bronze A' Design Award reinforced the idea that ceramic art can transcend cultural and functional boundaries to create meaningful connections. International recognition highlighted how viewers from diverse backgrounds may engage with a vessel’s quiet presence.
