MUSINGS
We believe that creativity is our true nature. This means that a fulfilled life, in tune with our true self, is a creative life, and that creativity is an element of wellbeing. When you are in touch with yourself, then, by nature, you are creative. You have an innate urge to play, wonder, explore and create.
But in the midst of the often fast-paced everyday and between other (perceived) obligations, how can you go about reconnecting with your innate creativity? In this series of MUSINGS, we ask artists about their creative process and their practices – artistic and wellbeing practices – to get inspired and perhaps integrate some of those practices in your own life to nurture our creativity and wellbeing.
While the mental health benefits of making art are evident not only in subjective experience but also, increasingly, in scientific research, art is also a form of exploration and expression, of producing and sharing knowledge – knowledge that is based on practices that connect, on intuitive and embodied knowledge and subjective realities. In these MUSINGS, we explore many facets of creative practice that open up different, inspiring and wholesome ways of experiencing and relating to yourself and to what is around you.
Macheia is a term that refers to a measurement of quantity equivalent to one’s hand. The studio was created in 2020 by Italian-German product designer Lucrezia Papillo and Mozambican-Portuguese architect Iany Gayo. With an intentional focus on natural fibers, ancient techniques and their continuity, MACHEIA’s work ranges from storytelling-objects, collaborative installations and private commissions.
Rebecca Fontaine-Wolf is an interdisciplinary artist who grew up between Germany and the UK and is currently living between London and Lisbon. She works across a range of media. Her work, which focuses on self-portraiture, explores concerns around the mediated relationship to the body and self-image as experienced in contemporary digitised culture; whilst drawing on themes and imagery inspired by art history, mythology and the occult.
For Billy Pitta-Gróz, natural stone is fascinating. In its essence it contains history. He uses the distinct expressiveness of each piece in the conception of his ‘vessels’. In Portugal, he has these raw materials of exceptional quality at his disposal. His works are the result of sustainable practices that often use state-of-the-art technology while also reflecting handcrafted details. The character and uniqueness of each object resides in the experience of the artisanal process.
Anke Buchmann is a ceramic designer and founder of HANDFUL: an invitation to slow down and connect through clay. Her vision for HANDFUL was born when she studied Ceramic Design at Central Saint Martins in London. She has grown as an artist and award-winning designer in London with work exhibited at group and solo shows in Berlin and London. Anke has inspired individuals, groups and creatives with her work and clay workshops.