Sculptural ceramic installations, lighting & art
Unit 89
Inspired by tactility, vulnerability and the source of emotional human connection
Discover the world of Unit 89
Hand pinched porcelain
Artist Ula Saniawa is a ceramic artist who creates ceramic lighting and installations inspired by vulnerability, tactility and the source of emotional human connection.
Ula first trained in architecture, working with logic, algorithms and mathematical approach to patterns but left her feeling disconnected and paralysed by perfectionism. In her own words,
“the visceral need for grounding in tactility led me to discover clay”.
Her architectural background can still be distinguished in her work, as being mindful of a context is an important part of her work with the intention that her work sits well in a space, offering character without overwhelming it.
The process that drives her work is the innate clash of perfection and imperfection, algorithmic and chaotic. The marks left by her gestures and fingerprints in the porcelain offers the sense of vulnerability and human connection and artistry that drives her work. Ula works entirely by hand in unglazed porcelain with additions such as stoneware, oxides, crushed marble, iron etc. Each piece is completely unique, through a different design, material response and slight variation in natural gestures.
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Hand-pinching clay is intuitive and responsive
Unit 89’s creations come from being able to sense, feel and work with ceramics in a very natural and tactile way.
All of Ula’s work is based on the principle of accumulation of seemingly identical but unique elements, and how they converse between each other. The difference is in the character of each element and how they interact with one another. Ula describes it as her installations are separate, small individual components compiled together in a formulaic manner, whilst with the ceramic vessels it is her gestures that become the prime units.
“Clay remembers every hesitation and every intention. Ula's work is a negotiation with that memory until it reveals its quiet strength.”
Place, space & human connection
Ula’s creations are not only about the pieces themselves or the spaces that they inhabit but a combination of scale, light, shadows, texture, height at which they are perceived and the living environment through which people interact and encounter the pieces. It is these interactions and environments that connect space, objects and the human mind in turn bridging beauty and function in a natural way.
“The visceral need for grounding in tactility led me to discover clay”.
Ula Saniawa
Materials
Experience
An Intuitive Dialogue With Clay
Ula begins each piece by responding to the natural behaviour of porcelain. Her hands follow the material’s softness and movement, shaping forms through instinct and touch. This early stage is quiet, fluid and guided entirely by the clay itself.
A Demanding and Delicate Craft
Despite their calm appearance, Ula’s works are physically challenging to create. Thin porcelain forms strain the wrists and fingers, and the material is extremely fragile when wet or drying. Every gesture must be controlled, precise and patient.
Embracing Impermanence
Only a small number of pieces survive the making process. Porcelain collapses, cracks or disintegrates without warning. Ula accepts this unpredictability as part of her practice, allowing each loss to shape the next attempt and refine the final outcome.
Emergence and Transformation
The moment a piece comes out of the kiln marks its transformation from fragile clay to strong, translucent porcelain. This final stage reveals the beauty that makes the entire process worthwhile: lightness, resilience and a quiet sculptural presence.
Application & works
Unit 89 works across a wide range of applications, shaping both intimate objects and large spatial installations with the same sensitivity to form, light and material. Ula Saniawa develops each piece through an intuitive hand-building process, refining volume and gesture while anticipating how the clay will dry, fire and eventually interact with illumination. The work then undergoes a slow, even drying period that allows the material to stabilise before firing strengthens the body and reveals its final surface character. Multi-part installations, chandeliers and sculptural lamps are assembled with precision, integrating selected components while preserving the honest tactility of the clay and the studio’s distinct sculptural language.
Installations & architectural artworks
Large or small scale accent works that respond to the architecture they inhabit. Forms unfold across walls and ceilings, creating sculptural intrigue and interest to spaces and panels.
Sculptural lighting
Hand-built luminaires that balance material weight with quiet sensuality and sculptural form. Each piece becomes a vessel for light, transforming its surroundings with subtle glow and texture.
Objet & Commissions
Limited pieces and one-of-a-kind commissions that expand Unit 89’s sculptural vocabulary.
Hand-built objects that hold the intimacy of touch and the character of natural clay.
