On Memory, Making, and the Quiet Language of Objects

We’re delighted to introduce Janne Meijer, a multidisciplinary artist and ceramicist based in London. A recent Central Saint Martins graduate, Janne’s practice moves between fine art and functional ceramics, exploring ideas of memory, care, and preservation through form and material. Working primarily in porcelain and stoneware, she creates objects that hold traces of domestic spaces and the stories within them. Born in Germany and raised in Dubai, Janne now works from a shared studio in North London, where she continues to develop her thoughtful approach to making. You might also recognise her from her part-time role here at Fodder, where her love of ceramics finds another home.

Browse & Buy Janne's Collection Now

Hi Janne, we’re so excited to have your work joining our shelves and to share more of your practice with our audience.

From Central Saint Martins to the Ceramic Studio

F | Could you start by telling us a little about your background and what first drew you to ceramics as a medium?

JM | My background is in Fine Art, having just graduated from Central Saint Martins this past summer. I ended up taking a few years out during my degree, during which I worked at a school as Artist-in-Residence. I’d taken the role to build them a dark room for analogue photography, but I ended up spending all my time in their ceramic’s studio. It allowed me to try working with clay for the first time, and I taught myself everything I needed to know. I loved how tactile and hands-on it was. It’s been a very rewarding medium to work with, both practically and conceptually.

Funnily enough, one of the places that first introduced me to contemporary ceramics was this shop! I didn’t have any real exposure to ceramics growing up, but when I moved to London in 2019, Kentish Town Stores was my local coffee shop, and I purchased my first handmade mug there - a Lily Pearmain one, to which I’ve since added two more of Lily’s mugs. This makes it especially meaningful to now have my own work stocked at Fodder.

F | You have a fine art practice that includes drawing and installation alongside ceramics. How do these different areas connect for you, and what does clay allow that other materials do not?

JM | Often, they sit together - small ceramic pieces tend to be placed with wood or drawings. These are often small enough to fit in your hand and be held, in the same way you could pick up a rock when walking or an object from a drawer. It’s important to me that they can be held that way. I sometimes make bigger pieces, but they don’t tend to end up in installations then.

What draws me to clay is the history of it as a medium and its role in material culture and archaeology. I grew up by the sea and loved seeing what would wash up. Walking also informs a lot of my practice, and I love finding little ceramic fragments in places. I find that ceramics have permanence and presence in a way that not many other materials do.

I love the physicality and materiality of working with clay; it’s such a tactile medium, and I think it connects to people in a way other materials don’t always manage. It’s so special when something you’ve made becomes part of someone else’s daily life. I think there’s a real connection between maker, user and heritage when it comes to ceramics.

Objects of Memory, Care, and Domestic Preservation

F | Your conceptual work often explores memory, domestic preservation, and the objects we hold onto. Can you tell us more about where this interest began and how it continues to shape your practice?

JM | My family stems from Romania, from where they fled to Germany, but I don’t have any connection to this family heritage. This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot in recent years, following a personal loss that has severed that connection further. I think that growing up across and between cultures has amplified these feelings of disconnection and ideas around different types of loss or longing. This is what predominantly informs my interests around objects, memory and belonging. My current thinking tends to be rooted in ideas around cultural memory and material culture, and reading often forms the basis of work. I enjoy writers like Rebecca Solnit, Daniel Miller and Annette Kuhn.

Between Fine Art Practice and Functional Ceramics

F | Many of your non-functional ceramic pieces reference domestic spaces and forms like jars or cabinets. What draws you to these familiar shapes, and what do they represent for you?

JM | It goes back to the same ideas of memory, preservation and loss or absence. I’m drawn to closed forms and containers, objects that suggest something being held, withheld or preserved. It’s as much about what is there as what is missing. There’s a kind of Schrodinger’s cat sort of thing, where absence and presence exist at the same time. I enjoy the intimacy and familiarity of these objects and spaces. For me, a lot of it is about looking for things and wanting to hold onto them.

Working in Porcelain and Stoneware

F | You work primarily with porcelain and stoneware, thrown at the wheel. What is it about these materials that resonates with the ideas you’re exploring?

JM | The clays have different properties, so I find certain ones lend themselves more to some pieces than others. I don’t glaze a lot, often leaving work unglazed or transparent, so I choose clay depending on what characteristic I’m looking for. I find that I also end up blending clays, in particular porcelain with a specific stoneware, which gives you a beautiful blend that feels dense and stone-like. I’m always looking for texture and tactility in the clay I choose.

For my functional ware, I often colour and marble clay or decorate with slip on the wheel, which I enjoy because it’s formed through the process, and this is reflected in the final piece. I find it an exciting way to work, as my forms tend to be more controlled, and the patterns are more fluid and organic.

F | You split your time between fine art making and creating functional ceramics. How do you see these two sides of your practice informing each other?

JM | I think they sit alongside each other, overlapping at times with some objects, such as the jars I make. Sometimes it’s difficult to find the time for both practices, and I find that when one starts to slip, then the other is affected too. To some degree, they influence each other, but often one is also a break from the other. What I enjoy about making functional ceramics is that the focus is on process and there’s a real purpose to it, making practical work grounds me and my thinking, but I also love that it connects me to people and the craft.

Community, Conversation, and a Shared Studio in North London

F | Working from a shared studio in North London must offer a lot of energy and conversation. How does that community influence your work or creative rhythm?

JM | I enjoy working in a shared studio; it’s a very inspiring, supportive and generous space. I find it’s easy to get into your head a lot when working alone, and it’s invaluable having people around you to bounce ideas off or just to chat to. As someone who is self-taught, I learn so much from my peers. We’re quite a varied group of ceramicists, ranging from more sculptural to functional - we even have people who work with glass. It’s an exciting community to be a part of.

However, it’s both good and bad for productivity! It’s inspiring to work alongside so many talented makers, and I learn a lot from them too, but this also comes with lots of tea breaks or cake chats, and many have become good friends.

Ceramics in the Shop: From Studio to Shelf

F | Many of our customers to the store will recognise you from working part-time at Fodder. Has being surrounded by other makers and objects in the shop shaped the way you think about presentation, display, or the life of a piece once it leaves your hands?

JM | Working here at Fodder does influence my work and the way I think about things. I love chatting to people about the other makers and hearing what they think, what they love about a piece, what someone gravitates towards, or helping someone figure out what the right piece might be for someone else.

Certain pieces also influence what I’m making or how I’m making something. I love seeing what other makers are creating or how they design certain elements, which then also inspires what I make for my own collection. I love being around ceramics, and it’s always great when someone wants to find out more about pieces or how something is made. I don’t always get to know where my work ends up living so it’s quite fun to have those direct interactions with customers.  

A Sense of Pause

F | Finally, what do you hope people sense or feel when they encounter your work, whether in a gallery, at home, or on a Fodder shelf?

JM | I want my work to be quiet, for me, a lot of the time I make work as a way to slow down, reflect and process, and I would love for the work to offer others a similar sense of pause.  And I hope my pieces to bring joy! There’s nothing more rewarding than someone choosing to use one of my pieces in their everyday life.

There’s a quiet thoughtfulness to Janne’s work, where form and function meet ideas of memory, care, and the passing of time. Each piece feels both contemporary and timeless, inviting us to slow down and notice the stories held within everyday objects. We’re so pleased to share her ceramics with you at Fodder and can’t wait for you to experience them in person.

Images of Janne in the studio credit to Ella Margolin