SP-Art 2025

The tradition of the future: Superlimão 3D prints clay and transforms design with technology and ancestry Even before it became a structural element in architecture, clay was already used to create utilitarian objects and artistic expressions, shaping the material culture of several civilizations. Despite its long history, this material still holds unexplored possibilities. How can we rethink its use without losing its essence? In the experiment that Superlimão is presenting at SP–Arte 2025, clay gains a new perspective when molded by a 3D printer, combining digital and artisanal in a process that challenges the conventional logic of ceramics. This was the starting point for the research that Superlimão is presenting at SP–Arte 2025: a project that redefines the use of ceramics through 3D printing. The office, which has as one of its pillars the fusion between digital and analog, developed a process that manipulates the programming of the machine code to create organic surfaces and textures in clay. Unlike what is expected from conventional 3D printing — which is mostly built vertically — this approach allows us to explore new volumes and structures. However, even though technology controls the initial parameters, the material prevails over the technology. Air humidity, drying time, the natural shrinkage of the clay, and the variation in firing temperature influence the final result. No two pieces are the same. “We work with a material that continues to transform even after printing. Even though the process has a technical side, it will always have a human, artisanal factor,” says Diogo Matsui, design coordinator at Superlimão. The study also dialogues with the fabrics developed by Ecosimple, produced from recycled textile waste. These materials will be used at the Superlimão stand at SP–Arte and in an intervention right at the entrance to the pavilion, both designed by the firm. Just like the clay pieces, the fabrics follow a graphic logic that intertwines past and future through materiality. In both cases, the construction takes place in layers and weaves, where each thread or clay fillet finds its place in a unique way. The public will be able to follow not only the creative process through TCL monitors, but also the production and printing of the pieces, which are on display at the Superlimão stand. The research presented at SP–Arte is not limited to a technical experiment. It questions how design can reinterpret traditional knowledge without losing its essence. And, above all, how technology can learn from its ancestors, and not just replace or automate what came before.