Neve Beill (London Design Festival 2025)

Using a site-specific approach, Neve Beill, gathered wild clay, waste materials, and found objects from the river’s foreshore to create a collection of vessels that respond directly to the physical and historical character of the river. 

The main forms are inspired by Roman pottery excavated in London, while textures and finishes reflect the tactile qualities of the Thames. The work challenges conventional ceramic practices by replacing commercial materials with reclaimed resources, such as fireplace ash, animal bone, wild clay, and discarded glass.

Many of these materials were discovered while mudlarking, including bones likely linked to the meat trade, and a gold-toothed denture, which discovery raised questions about identity and loss. Some vessels shimmer with iridescence created by glass shards merging with vitrified Thames clay, echoing the oily surface and muddy foreshore of the river.