STUDIO JOSHA
Amsterdam based Studio Josha is led by Josha Roymans, who graduated from Rietveld Academy in 2012.
The designer works from his own design methodology; the Intuitive Creative Design Method. Bringing his two-dimensional sketches directly into the third dimensional world, in order to capture the intuitive within the creation process, he directly copies his sketches, with all of its naive and “wonky” lines, into 3d sculptural objects. The method results in an eclectic collection of functional objects varying in size, form and colour.
Q&A
Who is behind Studio Josha?
I am a multipotentialist. My interests are everywhere and all over the place. As much as I appreciate an old tree I can enjoy a vintage watch, a good packaging, or the newest architectural building in my hometown too. The first memory I have as a child is working with my father fixing a bike, and I have always worked with my hand since. I like to work with every material that comes in my path.
Even though I am a little bit of a control freak and do not like surprises that much, I like to be surprised when it comes to art and design.
What defines you as a maker, or rather, which medium or techniques allows you to best express yourself at the moment?
My handwriting. I am building my whole studio around my intuitive, almost ignorant handwriting. I believe this is where all intuitive creation is captured at its purest form. This is what makes a person unique.
Name six key words which sums up your inspiration for the work showing at TABLEAU x COLLECTIBLE 2024.
As cheesy as it sounds, I really admire the pure and un-influenced creativity of my daughters (Milla 9 months, Loulou 4 years). When Loulou starts to make her art, she creates like nobody's watching, she pleases no one, she does whatever she wants in the moment, she doesn't care about making money. This is the purest form of creating. And very inspiring. It took me 5 years of Art Academy to get back to this level of don't-give-a-fuck.
So: Mij daughters, materiality, the sheep of my neighbour, Itamar Gilboa, Naoshima, disruptors
What projects are you currently working on?
A collection of smaller pieces for Tableau. And expanding the use of materials in my studio.
Which of your pieces best represents you and why?
All pieces are a capturing of my thoughts at a specific moment in time. The less I care about it the better the work gets. So you can see a line in the work that represents my confidence, emotions and experience.
How do you see the movement of collectible design and functional art developing in the future?
There will not be such a thing as “collectible design” or "functional art”. These terms only suggest that there is a distinction between art and design. We are in a transition. In the future, especially with AI technology moving so fast as it does, people won't care about these name tags anymore. In the future we all just want original thoughts, stories and objects. And objects need stories to be irreplaceable. Creation is not the issue anymore, it's all about creativity.
