Mottoform Design

What We Carry

Pulitzer winning poet Diane Seuss’ ekphrastic poem in response to the collection “What We Carry” by Liisa Salonen and Elizabeth Salonen

This project makes visible the act of carrying. At times it takes shape as weight; at others, as lightness. It traces what we hold over time, what we inherit, and what we might release. What is ours to carry and what is not.

Happy designer moment — when you receive a cute ottoman upholstered in your “Elizabeth Salonen Collection” textile for

So grateful for the incredible collaborations this year! ❤️
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- Pictured: Ottoman upholstered in “Porvoo” indoor + outdoor performance textile
- Color: Whitewash
- Bleach cleanable, UV resistant
- 50,000 double rubs Wyzenbeek

Some fun behind the scenes from collab with .are.ona + during Art Basil Paris.

Capturing and his team in action.
+ servers rehearsing
+ precision napkin folding
+ last slide — me trying not to take myself too seriously!

Honoured to have been selected as featured artist for this dinner series and to have my Discarded collection inspire the concept and design language.

Chef
Fab flowers and fruit by
Plates

pronzato

It’s amazing what happens when artwork moves off the wall and into real life! In Paris, my DISCARDED plaster sculptures were transformed into multi-sensory dining experience with .are.ona during Art Basel.

Loved meeting you .pronzato !

Talented chef did an incredible job interpreting the artwork into gastronomy — all in textural, plaster-like monochrome white.

So grateful for the opportunity and support from all the partners and teams who brought this amazing group of Paris x Detroit creatives together + more 🤍

Photos 1-4, 7-8

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Discarded is a collection of monochromatic bas-relief sculptures in plaster and ceramic that question the narrative of disposable packaging as end-of-life waste. They are created from packaging components that encase everyday objects and are themselves designed, only to be thrown away. By re-materializing ubiquitous, single-use packaging into art, Salonen disrupts the waste stream. Her meticulous process creates a paradoxical new object, where the throw-away is reincarnated as an object of desire. From low to high end, it’s a visualization of waste as beauty.

Paris Art Week❗️

It was a joy to collaborate with DETROIT SALON and .are.ona on a dinner inspired by my artwork DISCARDED.

Translating the poetic qualities of form and material from my studio practice, the dinner was a sensory experience of gastronomy, memory, and light. An evening where art, design, people, and culture become a living experience.

Thank you chef for your interpretation of my artwork into the language of food design — echoing its calm, textural, and white-on-white aesthetics through each course.

The We Are Ona dinner marked the beginning of an international journey spotlighting Detroit artists and creatives, and culminating in a landmark event in Detroit in 2028.

Special thanks to the We Are Ona team for doing an incredible job coordinating all the details — right down to the custom-made tables produced in a “plaster” aesthetic.

who did the fabulous plaster flowers and fruit for the discarded objects.

The amazing team





Daniell Waddel

+ all the incredible patrons and sponsors

Thank you for the urgent firing of the ceramics, and for believing in this project from the beginning.

Looking forward to what’s ahead!

Honoured to be featured in the Financial Times this past weekend. An article exploring Detroit’s rise as a global arts hub and my “DISCARDED” artwork series challenging throwaway culture through heirloom-quality design.

Grateful to be part of this conversation and this city’s creative momentum.

Thank you to for everything you do uplifting Detroit creatives.

[link in bio]






Danielle Waddell

WHAT WE CARRY

These archetypal mannequins expose their life experience in the beauty of scars, in the unglazed body of the clay and in the seams of production. Mannequin heads, typically used for displaying objects relating to personal adornment, support a variety of orbs in the act of carrying. 

Combining fine art and product design, this version supports an orb in the act of carrying light.

On view:
When: until October 25, 2025
Where: Metropolitan Museum of Design Detroit, 905 Henry St., 3rd Floor, Detroit.
Open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 AM - 4 PM.

WHAT WE CARRY
Exhibition extended until October 25, 2025!

“Modularity allows us to explore without declaring an end point. There’s no final version, no fixed narrative—only possibilities. It resists closure and embraces change, allowing works to remain alive, open, and responsive,” says Salonen.

On view:
When: until October 25, 2025
Where: Metropolitan Museum of Design Detroit, 905 Henry St., 3rd Floor, Detroit.
Open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 AM - 4 PM.

A selection of my ceramic vessels will be on view at Detroit Warehouse: Art and Design Fair this weekend.

Come out to the exhibition for all the good vibes + art and design!

Organized by and , curated by and

Opening party – Sept 19th, 6-9pm
Open hours — Saturday 12-7, Sunday 12-5

Boyer Campbell Building
6540 St. Antoine, Detroit, MI

Coming soon! New ceramic work by mother-daughter collab called “What We Carry”

The collaboration traces back to the 1940s, when my grandmother studied under Mary Chase Perry (Stratton) in Detroit. In 2023, my mother and I decided to return to our legacy to work in the studio at Pewabic, bringing the story full circle.

I was already working in slip casting ceramics, and we were interested in blending industrial processes with hand building.

Our “What We Carry” sculptures will be unveiled for Detroit Month of Design

Stay tuned for more.

Photo 01 .brand.photographer