Some of you already know Lea from the drop-in Sundays at HANDFUL. Lea has been supporting me in the studio for a good year and regularly opens the doors for you. I am incredibly grateful for her friendly and calm energy, her eye for detail and her enthusiasm for the work. Starting in 2025, Lea will also be offering HANDFUL workshops. How lucky are you? One more reason to let Lea tell us about herself.
Lea and I met during one of my workshops. She stood out to me among the participants because she already had a professional way of working - on the one hand very focused but at the same time no trace of doggedness, expectations or pressure. Her own design language and imaginative creations showed her positive and light-hearted signature. A short time later she started working for HANDFUL and today it is impossible to imagine the Atelier without her.
Good morning Lea, what was the first thing you touched this morning?
The first thing I touched today were my glasses.
Ah, look, I don't think I've ever seen you with glasses before. Tell us a bit more about yourself. What brought you to Berlin?
My journey to Berlin was more or less a coincidence, as a temporary option. Due to the interruption of my first studies, I was looking for an internship and wanted to spend 6 months in Berlin. That was in 2014 and 6 months have now become almost 11 years.
Do you have a favourite place in Berlin?
Many! But the place to which I return too rarely but which always fascinates me, is the chapel at the Dorotheenstadt Cemetery with the permanent light installation by James Turrell. Experiencing the
installation means questions the spatial perception in interaction with colour. I am always impressed by how with an apparent simplicity such a lasting illusion is created.
When did you start working with clay and what was the impulse
for you?
My first contact with clay was in my primary school classes and semester abroad in Toronto as part of my studies. There I took a life drawing class and we described the models with clay. It felt natural to me
to interact with a person in a spatial context using a haptic medium to reproduce it.
What does clay mean to you?
I think clay is becoming more and more important to me because it teaches me something new every day. For me it is a place of calm, but it can also be a place of excitement. Through the clay I understand more and more that my hands and my head are in direct connection. Through it I understand myself a little better sometimes. I love its diversity, its different stages of life and that it has a will of his own. At the same time it has additional value to me because it is also a passion that I share with my mother - my parent's house is full of my mother's hand-built creations.
What do you do when you're not working with clay?
In addition to working as a freelance motion designer, I spend a lot of time with illustrating. Sometimes I turn the illustrations into sculptures, and other times reproduce them with the help of screen printing, I love playing with colours - in both mediums.
Can you elaborate on the connection between your illustrations and
your ceramics?
My ceramics are based on my illustrations. Since through my illustrations I often visualise creatures in connection to floral worlds, they offer for me the perfect breeding ground to bring them to life, to present them spatially. They grow out of two-dimensionality and become three-dimensionally through the clay. To go full circle, I also like to create drawings from the finished sculpture. That is how metamorphosis occurs. In addition I combine both techniques by using the sculpture as a form of canvas
looking at things that I can draw on.
Can you draw a quick sketch of a fictional vase made by one of your
illustrations inspired?
How would you describe your visual style?
Colourful, naive, almost a little childish, as well as grotesque. My fascination lies in the visually distorted, random, imperfect. The creatures often have a worldly origin, while drifting into phantasy, without loosing their proximity. I see them as ambassadors of the issues they embody: feminism and its historical context, mythology and fairy tales.
What is your favourite technique when creating with clay?
I usually start with pinching and work out my elements in order to then to put together a sculpture. I enjoy the moment when everything comes together, I use slip to join the pieces together and watch
the clay creatures evolve.
Can you draw a sketch of your favourite tool?
What is the most important learning for you when it comes to working with clay?
The clay and I work in collaboration. In silence we agree on processes. Timing is the most important thing here. This brings a big lesson: Practice patience and try to stay mindful. Then you will understand when the right time has come to take the next step.
When it comes to the HANDFUL workshops that you will offer, what is important to you personally?
In alignment with the HANDFUL manifest I want to show that everything is a process and it is important to learn and grow along the way. Perhaps we are not satisfied with
any result, but it certainly takes us further on our path.
What to you is special about HANDFUL?
I value HANDFUL as a space of encounter, I perceive it as a space of development true, without danger of judgement. Being surrounded by your sculptures means constant inspiration. love coming in, smelling the scent of hot tea, when HANDFUL exudes complete calm, I am in the flow and can forget about time. For me, the drop-in Sunday is a complement to this, it can be full of creative minds from whom I can learn and see other perspectives.
I see the opportunity to try out and develop myself artistically here. It is a privilege, as it is a place where I can come back, continue working, exchange ideas and grow. It is very easy to feel at home. I appreciate your trust, it strengthens my own trust in my work.
Can you tell us about the series of your first solo show?
Feminist interpretations make the sirens into active figures who exercise control through their voices - in contrast to passive, negative images of women in this context. This idea is at the heart of my work The Song Nobody Knows, in which I create grotesque, loud sculptures that redefine the sirens. The sculptures stand in a circle in the exhibition and invite viewers to enter it, surrender themselves and expose themselves to the danger of the songs. Their colorful, exaggerated depiction creates a strong attraction and fascination that makes the sirens' spell tangible. With open mouths, between earth, sky and sea, the figures seem to be calling for help, but remain trapped in their own power.
Which artists, illustrators, designers or musicians inspire you at the moment?
Elizabeth Sankey and her documentary film 'Witches' touched me this week
and gives me new ideas. The music of Laurel Halo awakens in me the
need to create dreamy, mystical scenes.
Thank you very much, dear Lea! I am looking forward to our continued time together in the studio and of course your upcoming HANDFUL workshops.
Find workshops with Lea here:
Freestyle Ceramics (6 week course) Ceramic Starter (one-time)
Follow Lea on Instagram:
Comments