poppy cowan
(de) Fine arts
Wdka Willem De Kooning Academy
Graduates: 2026
Specialisms: Ceramics / Fine Art / Contemporary Craft
My location: Rotterdam, Netherlands
poppy cowan
First Name: poppy
Last Name: cowan
University / College: Wdka Willem De Kooning Academy
Course / Program: (de) Fine arts
Graduates: 2026
Specialisms: Ceramics / Fine Art / Contemporary Craft
My Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Website: Click To See Website
About
I am a recent graduate of (de) Fine Arts, Willem De Kooning Academy Rotterdam, and a ceramicist whose practice explores memory, place, death and materiality through ceramics and scent. Working primarily with wheel-thrown vessels, alternative firing techniques and perfumery, I create contemporary artefacts that preserve traces of people, places and lived experiences.
I am particularly interested in the tension between permanence and ephemerality. Clay can preserve physical traces for generations, while scent is invisible, temporary and deeply connected to memory. Bringing these materials together allows me to explore how experiences of loss can be held, preserved and reactivated.
Inspired by archaeological artefacts and humanity's enduring desire to leave lasting traces, I consider the ceramic vessel as a carrier of memory. My practice asks how objects can hold stories beyond an individual's lifetime, allowing fragments of personal experience to be passed between generations and continually reinterpreted.
This work investigates the tension between permanence and ephemerality through the combination of ceramic vessels and personalised scents. The ceramic vessel simultaneously preserves and fails to preserve, stabilising physical traces of place on its surface while containing a scent that inevitably dissipates. The project consists of a series of hand-thrown ceramic vessels, each containing a personalised perfume. Each vessel represents a specific type of location significant to me. The materials that mark the surface of each vessel correspond to those gathered at each site and are saggar-fired onto the vessel’s surface. Similarly, the scent inside reflects the materials that mark the surface. Together, the intention is for each vessel to represent one specific location and attempt to encapsulate its memory through aesthetics and scent.
Competitions
