Clara Valdes

My work takes the form of unique, hand-crafted objects that find their place within an object-based design practice aimed at private clients, chefs, and living exhibitions.

Currently, I conceive production as a cycle. I create molds in hand-sculpted clay, drawing the shapes of both the inner and outer voids of the object. I then cast them in jesmonite (a non-toxic acrylic resin), which I pigment throughout using natural pigments that I produce myself (charcoal, earth, stone, plants). The gesture of the hand leaves irregularities, marks, and holes on the surface of the object, revealing the encounter between hand, clay, and resin. The objects are then sanded and waxed by hand, and the clay used for the mold is recycled in order to begin the process again and create new pieces.

My forms come to life on tables, particularly in gastronomic restaurants such as Ondine in Strasbourg (67), where containers and contents interact to create a culinary experience that fosters connections between different actors—producers, chefs, artisans, and users. My practice also takes shape in living exhibitions, such as Giga Dinette, a project co-produced with artist Jane Bidet during the 2022 European Heritage Days at the Kunsthalle in Mulhouse. This banquet/flea-market format brought together food, wine, tableware, sound performance, and collaboration with local contributors. My objects continue to develop in my studio at Motoco, where I experiment with forms, textures, and colors, and pursue a reinterpretation of tableware while fostering local connections.

My career

I joined Motoco at the start of the 2022 academic year, where I was able to move into my first studio. I graduated with a DNSEP (Master’s degree in Art and Design) in Design Process from HEAR, which I entered in 2018. For the past five years, I have primarily developed my practice within the Alsace region.

I have participated in several exhibitions, including /on s’infiltre/ in December 2018 at the Historical Museum of Strasbourg, and La Nuit de la Sinne in 2019 at the Théâtre de la Sinne in Mulhouse. Last September, together with Studio Ladoubleclique, we took over the window space of Quartz-Design on Rue des Tanneurs in Mulhouse. Most recently, I co-organized the exhibition Giga Dinette in collaboration with the Kunsthalle Mulhouse during the 2022 European Heritage Days. Conceived as a banquet/flea market, it combined ceramics, food, wine, and sound performance, creating a living exhibition.