Joya: AiR / Sanne Bjerg / DEN
photo Simon Beckmann
Joya: AiR / Sanne Bjerg / DEN
"I came to Joya Air with the main purpose of stepping out of my familiar surroundings in order to get a clearer view on the two manuscripts I am working on at the moment. This worked very well - coming to clarity about how I believe I can weave the two texts together to a more interestingly convoluted collage of sorts.
But on top of that the hours of walking, running, climbing, hunting and gathering rocks, bones and other stuff in the barranco, also turned out to be very inspiring for my work with collage in both paper and 3D. This resulted, among other things, in a totem site that proved itself as a powerful spot for a full moon ritual, inspired in part by Basque rituals that Ima Montoya generously shared....;-)
Habitually a loner I had planned on spending my 4 weeks at Joya Air more or less in isolation, but to my great surprise the socialising with the other (changing) residents turned out to be a great inspiration - and a lot of fun ;-). Friends were made! Sharing art and thoughts was a thrill - not to mention the fact that I quite unexpectedly got myself initiated to Instagram through a joint effort of teaching from everyone!
Last but not least the caretaking, cooking and companionship of Donna and Simon made my stay so smooth, pleasant and joyful that I can hardly wait to come back.
Their place is so full of beauty, nature, quietness and the constant calming presence of the mountains. From my studio I watched the almond tree outside my window turn from brownish grey to fully blossoming pink during my stay, making the slow passing of time viscerally present in a way that was very nurturing for my work as well as my mental health ;-). Gracias!"
Sanne Bjerg