‘The 14th of April, I woke up at Joya: AiR to a cloudy sky that became more and more orange by each passing hour of the day. At around 4 pm, when it was tangerine in the atmosphere, we got the news that it was red Saharan sand blowing into Southern Spain from storm Cecilia. The next days, the rain washed away the sand creating beautiful patterns on the floor in front of the house. As an artist using mainly raw materials in my art, I couldn’t walk by without trying something. Handcrafted lokta paper pressed into the wet sandy ground became prints of the Sahara.

These last days tainted by this strange phenomenon felt surreal, but in retrospect, not as surreal as the place and the people I’ve met at Joya: AiR. Simon and Donna have created an oasis. An oasis for creativity and sharing that remained one, despite the desert winds and the rain.

Sarita Wallengren