Hello, I’m Juliana, an artist exploring how sensory engagement can nurture emotional connection and holistic wellbeing.
My practice blends human-centred design with an interdisciplinary approach grounded in health sciences, psychology, behavioural studies, and holistic systems such as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). With over a decade of shaping meaningful experiences, I craft sensorial works and immersive encounters that invite 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 - it became a way of life, a language of care and connection.
That upbringing attuned me to the tender 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 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, and during that time, my body began to break down in quiet, invisible ways. Physically, mentally, and spiritually, I reached my most fragile point. I felt disconnected, out of rhythm with myself and the world, as if life had paused, asking me to listen more deeply.
In search of healing, I turned to my other senses and found refuge in clay, yoga, and the nourishing wisdom of TCM - each guiding me toward grounded presence, energetic flow and a deeper sense of self. Together, they helped me reconnect with my body, creativity, and the joy of working with my hands.
My creative path has never been linear. I began in industrial design, building a foundation in user-centred design. But through lived experience and a deepening awareness of how making holds emotion, my practice evolved into something more intuitive, personal and embodied: a space for feeling, storytelling, and sensory restoration.
What began as healing has become a way of living, an ongoing practice of caring for my body, mind, and spirit. Each work and experience became a vessel for memory, feeling, and slow transformation; a language for what words couldn’t express. Through this, I discovered the healing power of creating: how it can restore presence, help us process emotion, and reconnect us to what truly matters.
Alongside my personal practice, I offer immersive micro retreats - spaces where you’re invited to slow down, reconnect with your creative intuition, and return to the deep wisdom of your body. Together, we make space for play, deep presence, and openness.
Inspired by restorative practices like yoga, and shaped by a lifelong reverence for food as medicine and the principles of TCM, my work invites a gentle return to harmony between body, mind, and spirit - guided by the rhythms of nature and inner transformation.
I believe nature lives both within and all around us - a mirror of our innate bond with the Mother Earth. My work honours that relationship, and the way clay and natural materials - like the body - remember, respond, and hold.
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.
Why Not?, 2024
Each experience and artwork is shaped by this philosophy: a return to presence, a celebration of becoming, and a 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 you to embrace your 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.
Experience
Yoga Alliance Certified 200-Hour Teacher Training
Summer 2025 (In progress)
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
Join my journey @julianalua_
