"This was my second residency at Joya: AiR. A year earlier, I had come and found that this wonderful space presented for me a new way of working, a fluidity with new and available materials that provided spontaneous ideas and experimentation.

The unlimited access to the clay that forms the ground as far as the eye can see was the material I knew I wanted to work with during my residency.

The Beckmann's were incredibly generous, providing me with space in their terraced garden to create a sculptural space meant to be physically interacted with. Three, separate areas to sit or lay on came to life through trial and error, and gave me an opportunity to become more acquainted with the textures and weights of the land. 

It was a truly transformative learning experience to work in this way, and this was only a fraction of what I bring home with me after this residency. 

This is a place of great beauty on every level, and it’s the people I shared with that brought the experience to life. The dinners with Simon, Donna, and the other residents, time spent in the different spaces of their home exchanging ideas and evolving my own, and the space to connect with myself and others outside of the context of my day to day life and my sense of my practice were nothing short of precious.

This is a place I will return to for as long as the Beckmann's will have me".

Melanie Moczarski

https://www.melaniemoczarski.com/