turquoise resin reimagines peruvian clay whistling vessels for vicús collection

Baron&Vicario and Domingo Seminario De Col present VICÚS

Barón&Vicario introduces VICÚS, a collection developed in collaboration with Peruvian architect Domingo Seminario De Col. The project references the VICÚS culture of northern Peru and examines the relationship between material, origin, and temporality through a contemporary design language.

The collection establishes a dialogue between Mexico and Peru, connecting both contexts through shared material practices and craft traditions. Within this framework, design operates as a medium for cultural exchange, linking historical references with present-day production. Resin, one of the brand’s primary materials, becomes the central vehicle for reinterpretation. In VICÚS, resin translates the visual and tactile qualities of ancestral clay into translucent forms defined by controlled geometry and refined surfaces.

The pieces draw from the sculptural qualities of pre-Hispanic ceramics, reworking their proportions and symbolic presence through symmetry and abstraction. Volumes are positioned between solidity and transparency, emphasizing mass, contour, and balance. The chromatic range, turquoise, earth, charcoal, and ochre, references natural pigments associated with ceremonial artifacts, reinforcing the connection to historical material culture.

HUYWIY – El silbador | all images by Roxana Badillo

VICÚS Translates Ancestral Clay vessels into resin sculptures

For designer Domingo Seminario De Col, the project also reflects a familial link to the VICÚS legacy. His grandfather, Domingo Seminario Urrutia, contributed to the preservation and international recognition of VICÚS legacy and ceramics. This historical continuity informs the collection’s conceptual foundation, connecting personal memory with broader cultural narratives.

The VICÚS culture, active in the Piura region between the 5th century BCE and the 4th century CE, is recognized for its sculptural ceramic forms, negative painting techniques, whistling vessels, and metallurgical expertise. Its production bridged Andean and coastal traditions, contributing significantly to the region’s material history.

Manufactured in Studio Barón&Vicario’s workshops in Mexico, the VICÚS collection reflects a dual framework: ancient and contemporary, ritual reference and everyday object, opacity and translucency. Through material reinterpretation and geometric discipline, the project positions design as a method of cultural continuity, where form carries historical reference within a present context.

HUYWIY – El silbador

FANU – El perro

KULTA – El pato

TARUCA – El venado

CHALCHACU – El loro

MA’AX – El mono

KANUWA – El balde

VICÚS Collection

VICÚS Collection in ZONA MACO

Domingo Seminario De Col & Raul de la Cerda – Original Vicús ceramics

project info:

name: VICÚS x Baron&Vicario

designer: Baron&Vicario | @baronyvicario
lead designers: Domingo Seminario De Col | @dosecol, Raul de la Cerda | @rauldelacerda_
photographer: Roxana Badillo | @roxanabadillov

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom