Inside her East London studio, ceramicist Jiayao Peng of PPP LAB listens to what the clay has to say. Over fifteen years of practice, her work has remained a steady, hands-on dialogue between hand and material, delicately pinching, molding, and carving each vessel until a functional form quietly emerges. The space around her reflects that calm rhythm, filled with the soft scrape of wooden tools, traces of clay, and the focus of a maker deeply attuned to her craft.
“When I make a functional object, I usually think about the most basic need first,” she offers softly, allowing the physical act of building to steer the outcome rather than locking down a final form in advance. It is an approach rooted in trust, letting the clay reveal its own path as it moves through her fingers. Take The Circus Cup, which began as a simple thought of an everyday container. As her hands worked the damp material, the vessel disclosed its own possibilities, leading to an intuitively hand-carved foot that instinctively begs to be held.
Her practice carries the memory of two distinct worlds. Early technical training in China rooted her in material mindfulness, precision, and an instinctual feel for the weight of clay. Her subsequent studies in the UK introduced a layer of questioning and continuous discovery, turning her craft into an open, living dialogue with the medium.
Working with deliberate care, Jiayao pares back the physical weight of her functional ware, ensuring that every vessel feels light and balanced when lifted. Instead of relying on heavy decoration, she lets raw, handcarved textures and silky, understated glazes speak directly to the sense of touch. The faint marks left by her fingers and the moody unpredictability of the kiln aren't flaws to be erased - they are welcomed as the living character, individuality, and heartbeat of hand-built ceramic work.
Spanning from morning mugs and butter dishes to sculptural incense burners, vases and goblets, her collection originates from real, organic interactions. Many of these forms blossom from simple, spontaneous conversations with her East London neighbours and fellow artisans, taking inspiration from how people interact with everyday objects in their personal spaces. Timeless, quiet, and open-ended, these hand-formed pieces bring a peaceful, grounding presence into our daily lives, serving as gentle reminders of the human touch behind the objects we choose to live alongside.
Jiayao wears the White Gather Cuff Long Sleeve Shirt and Beige Asymmetric Belted Trousers.
Words by Hwawon Cho.
Photography by Paul Kim.
