VAS is a pair of independent vessels designed by Carmelo Zappulla for External Reference, conceived as a study in contrast rather than as a single unified object. Each piece pairs two opposing textures, materials and processes, and the two vessels are shown side by side rather than nested, stacked or joined, so the tension between them stays visible instead of being resolved into one form. The result is less an object than a dialogue between two ways of making.

Material: the exterior of each vessel is CNC-milled cork, produced in collaboration with Amorim Cork, while the interior is 3D-printed ceramic developed with Codigo Materia, its layered structure left exposed rather than smoothed away. Porous meets polished, warm meets cool, natural material meets digital fabrication, all held within the same pair of objects, each material process given equal weight rather than one serving as decoration for the other.

VAS has been awarded Bronze in the Disueño category at the Delta Awards 2026, an edition that recovers the prize's original name after several years under the Premios ADI banner and also marks 50 years of the Delta Medals. Selected by an international jury from around 180 shortlisted products, VAS was exhibited at Hub de Disseny Barcelona as part of that recognition and will also be shown at DHub Barcelona from 23 to 26 September 2026, open during the museum's regular hours with general admission.