Our Modern Makers film series, in which we are meeting some of the most creative craftspeople working today, continues with a visit to the studio of ceramicist and molecular biologist Abid Javed. Watch the film here.

Abid spent his childhood in Hong Kong and lived in Lahore, Pakistan, before moving to the UK, where he undertook a PhD in structural and molecular biology at UCL. Research work saw Abid spending an increasing amount of time observing – and admiring – the organic shapes of molecules and, looking to express their inherent beauty, he turned to ceramics as a way to communicate the visual spectacle he saw.

After enrolling in a beginners course at Turning Earth in east London, Abid – like a true scientist – subsequently spent two years researching and developing a method of ceramics that enables him to express what he sees as “the storylines of biology.” The resulting sculptures and vessels are all hand-built using pinch, coil and slab methods; Abid chooses to leave the range of clays he works with unglazed, “because I want the clay bodies to take centre stage,” he says.

Also running through Abid’s work are influences from Islamic art and geometry, Arabic calligraphy and 20th-century European artists, most notably Jean Arp, Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and Pablo Picasso. That is to say, Abid’s work is rich and multi-faceted, bringing together art and science, East and West, creative expression and skillful craft in totally original and unexpected ways.

To dig deeper into Abid’s creative process and the influences that drive it, watch the film here. And, while you’re there, remember to check out the first episode in our Modern Makers series with glass artist Jochen Holz, and be sure to subscribe to our channel to be the first to see new episodes as they come out.