Hello, I’m Juliana. I’m an artist exploring how sensory engagement can nurture holistic wellbeing and emotional connection.
My practice blends human-centred design with an interdisciplinary approach rooted in health, science, psychology, and cultural traditions. With over a decade of shaping meaningful, sensorial experiences, I craft sensorial objects and immersive experiences meant to be touched, held, and explored, encouraging presence, play, and embodied self-discovery.
I was shaped early on by life between the vibrant culinary capitals of Kuala Lumpur and London, in my family-run restaurants. Food was more than nourishment to me; it became a way of life, a language of care and connection.
That upbringing attuned me to the quiet details that stir feeling: the scent in the air, the weight of a bowl in your hand, the ritual of sharing something made with intention. I was always observing: how people moved, connected, and interacted through gestures, objects and spaces. These everyday intimate moments formed my earliest sense of design - something deeply human, sensory and symbolic.
In 2021, my senses fell silent. I lost my ability to smell and taste for two years, an experience that profoundly reshaped my relationship with the world.
In search of grounding, I turned to my other senses and discovered the therapeutic power of clay. The moment I touched it, something shifted. Its meditative strength rekindled my creative spirit and reminded me of the deep joy in working with my hands.
My creative path has never been linear. I began in industrial design, building a foundation in form, function, and user-centred thinking. But through lived experience and a deepening awareness of how making holds emotion, my practice evolved. It became more intuitive, personal and embodied: a space to explore feelings through form, story and sensory connection.
This journey revealed to me the healing power of creativity, the way making can restore presence, help us process emotions, and reconnect with what matters. Creating became my language when words fell short. Each piece became a vessel for memory, feeling and slow transformation.
Rooted in restorative practices like yoga and mindful breathing, my work invites a gentle return to harmony between mind, body, and spirit - informed by a lifelong connection to food, nature, and the rhythms of change.
To me, nature lives both within us and all around us, a mirror of our innate bond with Mother Earth. My work honours that relationship, and the way clay like the body remembers, responds and holds.
Guided by the spirit of shoshin, the beginner’s mind and the joy of keeping our inner child alive, my work blends openness with wonder. I see creativity as a space where innocence and curiosity meet, inviting us to explore, reconnect, and meet the world with fresh eyes.
Each experience and artwork is shaped by this philosophy: a return to presence, a celebration of becoming, and a gentle reminder that play is essential to our wellbeing.
This ethos comes to life in pieces like Why Not? - a playful provocation to release hesitation, question the expected, and stay open to what unfolds. I invite people to embrace their individuality and to find joy in the rhythm of change.
Join me on @julianalua_ for a glimpse into evolving works and upcoming experiences.
If you’re seeking an object sculpted with your story, and made just for you, I’d love to create it with you.
Background
MA Design (Ceramics), Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London
September 2022 - June 2024
BA Industrial Design and Technology with Professional Practice, Brunel University
September 2011 - July 2015
Features
Ceramics Magazine
May 2025
Food Tools Design Club by Mold Magazine
April 2025
Interview with Shoutout LA
March 2025
Culinary Contexts curated by Ruby Tandoh
December 2024
The London Clinic Diagnostic Centre
March 2024
The London Clinic Diagnostic Centre
February 2024
Exhibitions
Soil, Toil & Table at Lethaby Gallery
December 2024 - January 2025
Feast County Hall Pottery Gallery
November 2024 - January 2025
London Design Festival
September 2024
Parallax Kensington Art Fair
July 2024
Central Saint Martins Shows
June 2024
Thrown Contemporary Winter Exhibition
November 2023 - January 2024
Petr Weigl Open Studio
November 2023
Cafe Phillies
May - October 2023
Thrown Contemporary Winter Exhibition
November 2022 - January 2023
Studio Pottery London
June 2022
What you’ve been saying