CALS HANDMADE DESIGN

Joana Descals Martin

CREATIVA CERAMICS GALLERY - TERRACOTTA BIENNAL 2026

CALS HANDMADE DESIGN - Joana Descals Martin

Joana Descals Martín

Joana Descals Martín spent her childhood in Olot (La Garrotxa).

She studied Architecture at the Universitat Politècnica de Barcelona, combining her formal studies with courses in various artistic techniques, including jewellery making, ceramics and glass.

In 2013, together with fellow university graduates, she founded the architecture studio Quinta Arquitectes.

In 2021, after moving to the Empordà and feeling the need to establish a closer relationship with materials, she created the Cals Handmade Design project. A workshop at the intersection of design, art and craftsmanship, where she creates objects capable of transforming the atmosphere of the spaces she had previously designed.

Her architectural background initially led her to feel the need to give her pieces a practical purpose. However, the creative process itself gradually freed her from this requirement, allowing function to fall away and making room for form in its own right.

She combines the production of limited editions with unique pieces shaped by the geometry and rural surroundings of the landscape around her. She works with natural materials such as clay and wood to reconnect us with the earth. These materials are left exposed so that their own textures can be appreciated and they can breathe, just as we do.

In 2024, she held her first solo exhibition, entitled Preludi, at the Àmbit espai d’art gallery in Olot.

This year, the Tramuntana lamp was selected for the 2026 Delta Awards and is currently awaiting the final decision.

@cals_handmadedesign - www.calshandmadedesign.com

TITLE OF THE PIECE:

Segments de Tramuntana 05

CONCEPTUAL DESCRIPTION:

Segments de tramuntana is a series of wall sculptures that originated from the Tramuntana lamps. The making of their sinuous porcelain slabs is an extremely delicate process. It takes full advantage of the material’s physical behaviour. Flat porcelain slabs containing cellulose are placed in the kiln on small point supports, allowing them to deform freely and form their delicate waves.

Because the fire itself is responsible for shaping each of the sheets inside the kiln, it is only natural that some of them are unable to withstand the stresses and develop cracks.

This does not make them any less interesting; quite the opposite. They are the protagonists of these sculptures, appearing as delicate segments of wind floating within oak frames.

YEAR OF CREATION:

2025

TECHNIQUE:

Slab building

MAIN MATERIALS:

Porcelain with paper pulp

TITLE OF THE PIECE:

Segments de Tramuntana 08

CONCEPTUAL DESCRIPTION:

Segments de Tramuntana is a series of wall sculptures that originated from the Tramuntana lamps. The making of their sinuous porcelain slabs is an extremely delicate process.

The physical behaviour of the material is used to its fullest extent. Flat porcelain slabs containing cellulose are placed in the kiln on small point supports, allowing them to deform freely and form their delicate waves.

Since it is the action of the fire itself that shapes each of the sheets inside the kiln, it is natural that some of them cannot withstand the stresses and develop cracks.

This does not make them any less interesting; quite the opposite. They are the protagonists of these sculptures, appearing as delicate segments of wind floating within oak frames.

YEAR OF CREATION:

2025

TECHNIQUE:

Slab building

MAIN MATERIALS:

Cellulose porcelain and oak wood.

TITLE OF THE PIECE:

Topografies de Tramuntana 04

CONCEPTUAL DESCRIPTION:

Topografies de tramuntana is a series of sculptures that originated from the Tramuntana lamps. The making of their sinuous porcelain slabs is an extremely delicate process.

The process takes full advantage of the material’s physical behaviour. Flat porcelain slabs containing cellulose are placed in the kiln on small point supports, allowing them to deform freely and form their delicate waves.

Because the fire itself is responsible for shaping each of the sheets inside the kiln, it is only natural that some of them are unable to withstand the stresses and develop cracks.

This does not make them any less interesting; quite the opposite. They are the protagonists of these sculptures, appearing as delicate wind topographies set upon heavy blocks of pine wood made from reclaimed beams.

YEAR OF CREATION:

2025

TECHNIQUE:

Slab building

MAIN MATERIALS:

Porcelain with cellulose and pine wood

TITLE OF THE PIECE:

Topographies de Tramuntana 07

CONCEPTUAL DESCRIPTION:

Topographies de Tramuntana is a series of sculptures that originated from the Tramuntana lamps. The making of their sinuous porcelain slabs is an extremely delicate process.

The physical behaviour of the material is used to its fullest extent. Flat porcelain slabs containing cellulose are placed in the kiln on small point supports, allowing them to deform freely and form their delicate waves.

Since it is the action of the fire itself that shapes each of the sheets inside the kiln, it is natural that some of them cannot withstand the stresses and develop cracks.

This does not make them any less interesting; quite the opposite. They are the protagonists of these sculptures, appearing as delicate topographies of wind set upon heavy blocks of pine wood made from reclaimed beams.

YEAR OF CREATION:

2025

TECHNIQUE:

Slab building

MAIN MATERIALS:

Cellulose porcelain and pine wood.

TITLE OF THE PIECE:

Topographies de Tramuntana 09

CONCEPTUAL DESCRIPTION:

Topographies de Tramuntana is a series of sculptures that originated from the Tramuntana lamps. The making of their sinuous porcelain slabs is an extremely delicate process.

The physical behaviour of the material is used to its fullest extent. Flat porcelain slabs containing cellulose are placed in the kiln on small point supports, allowing them to deform freely and form their delicate waves.

Since it is the action of the fire itself that shapes each of the sheets inside the kiln, it is natural that some of them cannot withstand the stresses and develop cracks.

This does not make them any less interesting; quite the opposite. They are the protagonists of these sculptures, appearing as delicate topographies of wind set upon heavy blocks of pine wood made from reclaimed beams.

YEAR OF CREATION:

2025

TECHNIQUE:

Slab building

MAIN MATERIALS:

Cellulose porcelain and pine wood.

TITLE OF THE PIECE:

Tramuntana 16

CONCEPTUAL DESCRIPTION:

A collection of table lamps inspired by the movement of wheat fields driven by the force of the wind. The physical behaviour of the material is used to its fullest extent. Flat porcelain slabs containing cellulose are placed in the kiln on small point supports, allowing them to deform freely and form their delicate waves.

The resulting shapes of each slab determine their compatibility with one another. They are joined by a PVC ring to create each of these unique lamps.

The warm light of a porthole light inside a stoneware cylinder enhances the gentle sinuosities of each slab, creating a tense dance that draws them towards one another while never allowing them to fully touch.

YEAR OF CREATION:

2025

TECHNIQUE:

Slab building

MAIN MATERIALS:

Cellulose porcelain and stoneware

TITLE OF THE PIECE:

Tramuntana 19

CONCEPTUAL DESCRIPTION:

A collection of table lamps inspired by the movement of wheat fields driven by the force of the wind. The physical behaviour of the material is used to its fullest extent. Flat porcelain slabs containing cellulose are placed in the kiln on small point supports, allowing them to deform freely and form their delicate waves.

The resulting shapes of each slab determine their compatibility with one another. They are joined by a PVC ring to create each of these unique lamps.

The warm light of a porthole light inside a stoneware cylinder enhances the gentle sinuosities of each slab, creating a tense dance that draws them towards one another while never allowing them to fully touch.

YEAR OF CREATION:

2025

TECHNIQUE:

Slab building and mould

MAIN MATERIALS:

Cellulose porcelain and stoneware

TITLE OF THE PIECE:

Segments de Tramuntana 03

CONCEPTUAL DESCRIPTION:

Segments de Tramuntana is a series of wall sculptures that originated from the Tramuntana lamps. The making of their sinuous porcelain slabs is an extremely delicate process.

The physical behaviour of the material is used to its fullest extent. Flat porcelain slabs containing cellulose are placed in the kiln on small point supports, allowing them to deform freely and form their delicate waves.

Since it is the action of the fire itself that shapes each of the sheets inside the kiln, it is natural that some of them cannot withstand the stresses and develop cracks.

This does not make them any less interesting; quite the opposite. They are the protagonists of these sculptures, appearing as delicate segments of wind floating within oak frames.

YEAR OF CREATION:

2025

TECHNIQUE:

Slab building

MAIN MATERIALS:

Cellulose porcelain and oak wood

TITLE OF THE PIECE:

Tramuntana 22

CONCEPTUAL DESCRIPTION:

A collection of table lamps inspired by the movement of wheat fields driven by the force of the wind. The physical behaviour of the material is used to its fullest extent. Flat porcelain slabs containing cellulose are placed in the kiln on small point supports, allowing them to deform freely and form their delicate waves.

The resulting shapes of each slab determine their compatibility with one another. They are joined by a PVC ring to create each of these unique lamps.

The warm light of a porthole light inside a stoneware cylinder enhances the gentle sinuosities of each slab, creating a tense dance that draws them towards one another while never allowing them to fully touch.

YEAR OF CREATION:

2025

TECHNIQUE:

Slab building and mould

MAIN MATERIALS:

Cellulose porcelain and stoneware