Ursula Vogel

Here: goodlifeceramics → Pots, plates, bowls, pitchers, cups and ashtrays are all objects the ceramist Ursula Vogel produces, mostly on commission. Although she takes private orders, makes small collections and collaborates on art projects, her backbone is her steady partnership since 2014 with fine-dining restaurants Fahr, Künten-Sulz, and Maison Manesse in Zurich. For both restaurants she develops bespoke collections based on specific dishes or on the interior design. The collections include plate series, pitchers and cups, and even a marshmallow grill.
Highly functional and based on simple and timeless aesthetics, the particular appeal of Vogel’s creations lies in the subtle handicraft that characterises each piece. As such, her collaboration leads a trend she has observed for some years, where valuing the dish means valuing the container, turning away from anonymous mass production and committing to dedicated local craftsmanship.

There: Save the porcelain → As the collection for Maison Manesse is based on porcelain, a stoneware precious and solid enough to last a long time, chef Fabian Spiquel and Ursula Vogel decided to keep and repair the broken pieces. But the ceramist, rather than attempting to hide the blemishes, uses the opportunity to highlight and personalise the damaged piece by adding various glazes. This upcycling not only makes each piece more unique, it is also an obvious gesture against the waste of precious matter.
Vogel engaged in a similar gesture with the open-air festival Hoffest Willisau in 2017, where every visitor, as they arrived, received a hand-made clinker cup to keep as a gift and drink from at the event, thus dispensing with single-use plastic cups.

Everywhere: goodlifeproductions → The designer has worked with artists and architects including Caro Niederer, Roger Meier, Joos & Mathys Architekten, and Andrea Seiler Innenarchitektur, and is involved in cultural organisations such as the Rote Fabrik and OOR Saloon. Goodlifeceramics is the offspring of one among many collaborative projects Ursula Vogel has engaged with: Goodlifeproductions was a temporary platform (2012–2013) for ceramics in art and design located in the Sihlpost in Zurich. It hosted an exhibition space, a residency programme with a ceramic studio, and a shop. This is part of the ceramist’s perspective on repositioning ceramics in the contemporary culture of art and design, aimed at establishing further common projects and long-lasting collaborations.

Ursula Vogel → (*1985), Based in Zurich, www.goodlifeceramics.ch

Education → Diploma in Ceramics, CEPV, Vevey; ceramics apprenticeship, Aebi Keramik, Hasle b. B.

Project(s) → goodlifeceramics, 2017–2020