Silver twigs and tea

WORDS Claire Jowell

It’s tea o’clock and we asked Pamela Schroeder of ABODA Designs about her beautifully intricate tea sets. Sugar cube anyone? 

How would you describe your work? 

Of the hand. Functional. Whimsical. 

Are your ceramic pieces designed to be purely decorative or functional too?

Both. At present, the majority of my porcelain pieces have been created to be used with my range of metal flatware and tableware. I enjoy making vessels for fruit, flowers, chocolates… as well as for the sheer joy of their form. Surface, pattern and texture are a passion, and I explore these avidly, and often abandon all the rules!

What is your background? Where did you learn how to work with ceramics and metals?

I have a wide background in a number of disciplines, each of which has relevance and is core to my current expression and production. Fine Art, art history, sculpture, drawing, graphic design, typography, photography, interior design, advertising and education. They have all contributed in a greater or lesser measure.

As a sculpture major I used clay, wood and bronze. The transition to porcelain and the metals I currently use has been a four-year process of refining and finding materials that best give expression to what I want to create. I love the temperament of porcelain as a medium – one never knows what is going to happen next. 

In terms of designers, who is your role model?

I am very visual, so I am more influenced by what I see than what I read, or who I am supposed to know. My role model is nature – it has enough variance and inspiration for a lifetime of work.

You have exhibited at several international expos. How did this come about and how were you received?

The Department of Trade and Industry is very pro-active in presenting the South African creative community abroad. I was privileged enough to exhibit with the DTI in Milan, Frankfurt and New Delhi, as well as with Decorex and Design Indaba. It is wonderful to see the diversity and incredible talent at these exhibits. South African design is admired because of its fine detail and innovation, and the inclusion of nature in our designs. It often lies outside of mainstream design trends, and thus it has the potential to trigger new directions.   

What was your biggest impression of trends in design from this year’s Design Indaba?

I think it is inevitable that local designers will start applying their conceptual skills across a wider range of production methods, materials and disciplines. Imagine the differential a fashion designer can bring to furniture! 

What is your biggest achievement so far?

Giving form to my own voice and loving what I do more every day!  

In your opinion, where is the coolest place to hang out?

Ideally I’d be in New York. But at the moment I am hanging out in my “cave” with a bag of porcelain clay and music! 

Whose dining table would you most like to see your designs on?

The silk weaving couple in Milan; the blind lady who loved the teaspoons; the porcelain ceramicist from Sardinia; the sorbet serving architect; and the five-year-old who walks around with her gilded silver twig spoon she purchased with her own coins.

www.aboda.co.za