“One day while traveling through Spain I took a wrong exit and ended up on a polígono industrial, an industrial zone. I was surprised by the beautiful shapes and colours hidden in this seemingly ordinary place. This was the starting point of my abstract photography project ‘Extra Ordinary’.

After a number of publications and exhibitions I started looking for a more powerful narrative in my work. Following a necessary break from photography, I now focus on visiting places that have been designed to drive the social-economic and industrial growth of a region and document the (often heavy and destructive) impact they have on the environment. Besides this I document my travels through the different countries I visit, often looking at common places and uncommon situations, inspired by photographers like Stephen Shore and William Eggleston and the ‘New Topographics’ movement.

I came to Joya: AiR to think about the direction of my current and future projects, play around with other creative ideas and at the same time take a break from city life. It’s been an incredibly inspiring week in a stunning place made possible by great people.

Instagram: @markrammers

www.markrammers.com

"This week has made me aware of how much we have grown in our daily lives with modern technology, internet and social media. How we have become accustomed to a multitude of stimuli and choices and how our concentration span is getting shorter and shorter. Without all these influences you will be forced to adapt to your environment, to adopt a different pace, to look and really see, to listen and really hear and to feel and really experience. This week at Joya: AiR gave me the opportunity to slow down, to distance myself from my work and to reflect on that while experimenting with the input of a natural environment and getting new insights.

Simon and Donna, thank you for this opportunity, this lovely quiet place in the centre of the Sierra María Los Vélez, the fantastic food and your hospitality. I will definitely return. Thanks also to all the other artists I met this week, with whom I had great conversations and above all a lot of fun".

Marjolein Witte

www.marjoleinwitte.com

"We are not one self, we are many. The artist, the food lover, the adventurer, to name a few, they all live inside me. But there is also the house sparrow, a self who wants to stay comfortably in her own beloved nest. This one makes it always hard for me to leave the place where I live.

To my surprise and joy, all my selves felt immediately at home at Joya: AiR. 

During the whole two weeks my inner slavedriver, who is often very present, didn't harass me once. On the contrary: she held long siestas amidst the poppies, drank coppas de vino whilst staring contently at the amazing sunsets and had long conversations with Fufu the goat. Every now and then she glimpsed through the panorama window of the studio, on which she nodded approvingly at the sight of me, smiling happily and dipping my brush into the goldpaint. 

Gold was the colour I used most, during my time at Joya, I think because I felt golden under this great blue dome. All my selves being nurtured, nourished and inspired by the wonderful landscape, the deep silence, the songbirds, the smell of the pine trees, the wildflowers, my fellow residents and of course by Donna and Simon. Joya is a work of art in itself". 

Francine Oomen

http://www.francineoomen.nl/

C.G. Jung: Memories, dreams, reflections
Edith Eger: The choice