Willem van Hooff
Flat Vessel Large Orange (sold)

Based in Eindhoven, where he graduated from the city’s Design Academy in 2016, Dutch craftsman Willem van Hooff reinvigorates forgotten techniques, products and materials to create objects with a pronounced sense of character – pieces with unique souls that challenge the apparent perfection of mass production. His style is raw and unrefined, working primarily with his hands, and inspired heavily by African clay traditions.

In collaboration with Metamorphoses, van Hooff turned to Greek ceramic traditions for two new sets of vessels, each comprising three pieces, to be displayed interchangeably. The series reimagines the handles of classical vessels, which are playfully accentuated in scale and proportion, whilst the typical round curves of ancient works are displaced by flat yet textured surfaces on two sides. Pictured here is the largest of three terra vessels – a robust amphora-inspired piece in a warm earthen colour, complete with rectangular handles at either side.