Et Al Ceramics (formerly Pulp Kaktus) opened its online doors back in 2018 as a plant gift delivery service specialising in cacti, succulents and architectural plants paired with a range of pots. The intention back then was to start making our own pots which led Allison into the world of ceramics, spending a couple of years at Carlton Arts Centre learning how to wheel throw pots and glaze. Fast forward to 2023,  it has become an all consuming passion! At the time, Allison was delivering cacti and succulents all over the city of Melbourne between ceramic classes and sourcing new and interesting plants. The plant delivery service was very popular during Melbourne’s 2020 lockdowns, providing a way for people to connect and celebrate special occasions at a very difficult time for everyone. Unfortunately, this also ended classes at the Arts Centre for some time.

In 2021 Allison decided to set up a studio at home, purchasing a wheel and a kiln and everything else required to get a pottery studio up and running. It took over a year to get going with a lot more wheel practice and a foray into mixing glazes, overwhelming in the beginning but starting to make sense through experimentation and guidance via books and videos. In late 2021 we closed the plant gift delivery service and started working on a new iteration of Pulp Kaktus.

In 2022 Will and Ash arrived to revamp Pulp Kaktus as an online store for handmade Australian products featuring our ceramics alongside other locally made products.  

It’s 2023 and we have rebranded Pulp Kaktus to Et Al Ceramics to focus more on what we do here from the studio and as we get going we hope to complement our range of products with those of other local makers. Et Al means in bibliographical terms ‘And Others’ in terms of citing sources. Al is the nickname of the maker and logo is based on the maker’s signature in clay. Adding Et is about community and sharing in the home, at the table, and + for others.

Allison with continued help and support from Ash, Will and family x