Essai Works - Vase - Essai Works 01 - Porcelain - Porcelain Wrap Collection

Porcelain Wrap first collection was first shown at Barcelona Design Week and was selected as finalist in the Product Design speciality of the contest during the XVI International Biennial of Ceramics of Manises (Valencia, Spain) in 2024.

Porcelain Wrap, the first series of experimental and irresistibly tactile decorative vases from Barcelona collective essai.works. From the French word ‘essai’ – meaning to trial, essai.works’ experimental and intuitive process explores the textural qualities of porcelain. The disposable and protective characteristics of bubble wrap is playfully contrasted with the preciousness of porcelain resulting in a limited-edition series that is light and precise yet reflects the spontaneity of the process.

Ceramic specialist Rosa Cortiella alongside designers Francesc Gasch and Darragh Casey formed the experimental ceramic collective essai.works as a ‘creative release’ – an opportunity to explore a process without a specific brief or outcome in mind.

The collective arranged prototyping sessions in Cortiella’s Barcelona based studio with the simple goal of freeing themselves of unnecessary restrictions and responding to any unforeseen outcomes along the way.

They prepared several moulds of everyday textures (both natural and manmade) and with some moulds of various forms they started to test possible directions - guided by Cortiella’s 30 years of ceramic expertise. With a “trial and error” process they eventually refined their first series, Porcelain wrap that captures the essence of what the project was about.

While the process of slip casting can create identical outcomes, essai.works chose to celebrate soft porcelain’s natural tendency to tear that might traditionally cause a piece to be rejected. These naturally torn edges confidently combine a highly crafted finish with a sense of unpredictability.

The ironic detailing provokes a distinct contrast between the softness of the bubble wrap and the sharpness of broken porcelain. Subsequently each piece has its own unique character and appeal. Each piece is carefully finished and glazed with its own identification number.

The chosen vases in the first collection have each been included for their unique characteristic and personality. However, when these individual vases come together as a series they form this mystic floating landscape.