Reconstructing digital logic through ceramic tiles and modular repetition

This workshop explores how digital language can be translated into material expression. Using miniature ceramic units, participants will construct coloured patterns and typographic compositions through modular repetition — shifting from screen to surface, from pixel to tile, from digital to manual.

At the centre is the grid: both a system and a visual language It's where repetition allows for variation, and structure opens space for improvisation. The grid here isn’t a constraint — it’s a method that supports rhythm, order, and disruption.

Each composition is encapsulated in a layer of translucent resin — a physical interface that echoes the digital screen. It captures the placement of parts, the rhythm of the hand, the intention behind each gesture. A moment suspended in a pixelated glaze.

The pieces produced in the workshop are not reproductions — they’re personal constructions. Just as ceramic tiles bring character to architectural spaces, these small-format objects carry something of their maker. Shaped fragment by fragment, they become not only visual compositions, but wearable extensions of identity — objects to be worn, carried, or kept.

Rather than simply recreating digital aesthetics, the workshop proposes a rethinking of language, colour, texture and pattern. Pixel by pixel. Tile by tile.

I’m Marlene, a Portuguese designer with a multidisciplinary background and an insatiable curiosity. Over the years, I’ve worked across a wide range of design areas — including brand identity, promotion, packaging, editorial, illustration, and fashion — helping clients communicate clearly while expressing their brand’s unique personality.

I thrive on good ideas, big challenges, and ambitious clients. Passionate and committed, I embrace every project with energy and dedication, while also seeking new perspectives that reflect my playful spirit, strategic mindset, pixel obsession, eye for detail, passion for vintage, love of travel, willingness to take risks — and the joy of being a bunny mom.

I’m a creator, maker, doer — and above all, a dreamer. I usually think in colour, but I know how to speak in black and white. This led me to launch my own brand: MAIS.COM.PT — inspired by Portuguese traditions, icons, and raw materials. My work finds a balance between tradition and innovation, where craft and design go hand in hand.

Alongside my design practice, I’m a PhD candidate in Design at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Lisbon. My research — Ceramic Design & Industry: A new aesthetic, technical and environmental approach to ceramic tiles and flooring — investigates how repetition, colour, material and texture influence both the aesthetic and thermal performance of architectural surfaces. 

This project merges design, sustainability, and innovation — reflecting my ongoing fascination with grids, pixels, and the power of the smallest unit: the point. I collaborate with interdisciplinary research centres exploring the relationship between design, architecture and technological innovation. I’ve written about my work in academic journals and books, registered two patents, and received a few awards along the way.

My academic path includes a BA in Communication Design from the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Porto (Portugal), an Erasmus term at the University of Vigo (Spain), and advanced studies in Design (FAUL) and Management (Porto Business School).

In my free time, I enjoy hunting for antiques, flea markets and auctions. I love thoughtful design, but I’m especially drawn to timeworn treasures — objects with soul and history. I believe in second chances, which is exactly what I gave a former police station in Porto: I restored it and now manage it as a local guesthouse — 14ª ESQUADRA, Cais das Pedras Guesthouse.

I currently live in Porto, Portugal. Sometimes I just like to take my mind for a walk — I love to travel, collect places and meet interesting people.
Let’s connect, share experiences and make something meaningful together.