Joya: AiR / Heather Ramsdale / Philadelphia USA
‘Work with less.
I came to Joya:AiR to work with less and explore the freedom one has in solitude, off the grid, in a studio filled with quiet. Leaving the shop, power tools and machines behind, my quest was toeliminate defaults, and see what happens, so I showed up with a large roll of paper. A studio window that revealed the severity of landscape in the middle of emptiness was the perfect visual dichotomy to propel ideas.
The mountains became fragile interior objects made of paper.
The fragile objects became heavy in gesture.
The heaviness imposed a curiousness about the forms.
The curiousness called for the addition of functional found things.
The addition of found functional things brought about the pulse of personas, both humorous and lonely.
Here I found the perfect balance of long productive days and great evening conversations. The food was local, fresh and beautifully prepared by Donna and Simon, and punctuated the very soul of the environment. I will leave Joya and return to my city with an awareness of how I live, what I really need both in the studio and otherwise, and with great insight as to what is most important’.
Heather